


november - in my life i'll love you more

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [7]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Caring Eddie Diaz, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Domestic Fluff, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Family Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Protective Eddie Diaz, Protective Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Eddie Diaz, Taylor Kelly is a super villain, supportive firefam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:46:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25422625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: Buck's mouth was dry. He looked out at the ocean – still calm and flat, still there – and said, "You know I'd marry you tomorrow if I could.""Then why can't we?" Eddie rested his hand in Christopher's hair, his eyes trained on Buck. "We want you with us, Buckley. What do you say?"
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816843
Comments: 88
Kudos: 641





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand here come Eddie's parents to spoil the fun.*
> 
> There's a little bit of angst here but I like to think it's balanced out with a healthy dollop of fluff, so please enjoy. 😊
> 
> *See end notes on Chapter 2 for more thoughts on that

****

* * *

**November**

The Santa Monica Pier was abuzz with activity. They'd made a point of coming in the afternoon on the second day of the reopening, hoping that the crowds would have diminished somewhat, but the place was packed. Buck wondered if Eddie regretted his decision, but he seemed to want to make a point that they could do this, so Buck went along with it.

He was a little nervous himself. As they walked out onto the wooden structure with Christopher between them, he couldn't help but look around, memories flashing in his mind – it was different, new, but somehow the same. They'd run from the railings, the wave behind them, and he'd thought that riding it out in an arcade stall might buy them some time. And then they'd been ripped apart under water, the current moving so quickly that he couldn't keep Christopher in his hands. He'd been thrown into underwater obstacles, twisting and turning, breaking through to the surface once for a ragged gasp of air before being dragged back under.

When he finally surfaced again, he was nearly a mile away from the pier and yet somehow, miraculously, Christopher was nearby.

He hadn't realised that he'd stopped walking until Eddie took him by the hand, and said in a voice filled with concern, "Baby, are you all right?"

He blinked, looking around – Christopher was there in front of him, and Eddie was at his side. He looked out at the ocean, which was calm and flat. "Um. Yeah."

"We'll be okay," Christopher said to him, pointing to the rides. "Come on, Buck."

Buck nodded at him, trying to smile. "Yeah. It's okay."

Eddie held onto his hand. "Come on," he said. "It's not going to happen again."

"I know. You're right. It just feels weird to be back." He took a few deep breaths, and let Eddie lead him into the crowded amusement park.

Christopher picked the first ride – dodgem cars – and he and Buck sat in one as a team, taking on Eddie alone. From there they took a ride on the Air Lift and the Wave Jumper before Eddie suggested the Ferris Wheel. Buck slid in behind him in line, his arms around Eddie's waist. "Are you sure?"

Eddie laughed. "Yeah, it'll be okay."

"The last time you were on one of these things you were scaling it. I wish I could've seen that." He rested his chin on Eddie's shoulder, and Eddie leaned back against him. "I wish I'd been there with you that day."

"Me too." Eddie turned his head to the side and kissed his cheek lightly. "It was pretty heroic of me."

"Oh, I bet."

They arrived at the front of the line and stepped into their car. Christopher sat beside Eddie on one side and Buck sat on the other, taking their photo as they lifted into the sky, the city behind them. Eddie was smiling at him contentedly, one arm draped around Christopher's shoulders. "I'm serious, you know," he said, as Buck posted the picture on Instagram.

"What about?"

"About marriage. We should just do it."

Buck's mouth was dry. He looked out at the ocean – still calm and flat, still _there_ – and said, "You know I'd marry you tomorrow if I could."

"Then why can't we?" Eddie rested his hand in Christopher's hair, his eyes trained on Buck. "We want you with us, Buckley. What do you say?"

Buck grinned – the answer was yes, of course, but… not when they were still mostly in hiding. Eddie noticed his expression change and sat up a little straighter, his eyebrows knitted together with concern. "You need to tell your parents," he said gently. "And we need to tell Bobby. No more hiding."

Eddie nodded, glancing down at Christopher. "I just love you so much," he said, a little gruffly. "I really suck at this."

"No, you don't. It's not easy." Buck rested his hands atop Eddie's knees. "I love you too, Eds. I want to be your husband, but we have to tell people."

"Yeah." He sniffled, and then wiped his nose. "You're right."

"And you haven't bought me a damn ring yet, Diaz." Buck took Eddie's hand and pressed his lips to it.

Eddie let out a laugh. "I'm going to. I promise."

"Buck's not going anywhere, Dad," Christopher said suddenly, looking up at him. "Buck's with us. He's been with us since we got here."

"Yeah, he is." Eddie stroked Buck's fingers with his hand. "Okay. They're coming to town early next month for Pepa's birthday. We'll tell them then. They won't be happy, but… my sisters might be. I don't know."

"We could make it really awkward for them," Buck suggested. "Invite our friends. Maddie will single-handedly charm the hell out of them."

"So they can't make a scene?"

"Yeah. And we can have some support as well." The ride was coming to an end, and Buck sat up, helping Christopher into his crutches. "How does that sound, my love?"

Eddie gave him a nervous nod. "Okay. We can do that."

**~*~*~**

_**Taylor Kelly** _

Taylor Kelly spotted Buck and Eddie as they disembarked the Ferris Wheel, with Eddie's son in tow. She watched them cut through the crowds, Buck's arm around Eddie's waist, and had a devilish thought.

"Follow them," she said to her cameraman, who raised his eyebrows at her skeptically. "Damn it Brett, just do what I tell you."

He made a face at her, and they trailed after them through the crowds. "Why are we following these people?"

"Because. There's a story here and I'm going to tell it, even if they won't talk to me."

Brett murmured, "This is why people don't like you."

"I don't care." Taylor pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Keep the camera on them."

The trio stopped to get some cotton candy and then headed away from the crowds, over to the railings. They found a spot together on a bench, Eddie's son in between them, and they traded laughter like there was a joke so funny that only the three of them were in on.

And then Eddie leaned in to wipe some cotton candy from the corner of Buck's mouth, and they smiled adoringly at each other. Buck closed the gap between them and kissed him, in public, and Taylor caught it all on film.

"Beautiful," she remarked, folding her arms across her chest. "Now I have the human angle."

**~*~*~**

_**Karen and Hen** _

"They're doing a story on the pier reopening," Karen said to Hen, sliding in beside her on the couch. "I was thinking we could take the kids down."

"I thought you said that you'd never, ever, in your whole life, ever, in the whole world, take your children to the pier after the tsunami," Hen said dryly, passing over the bowl of popcorn. "You were adamant."

"Well, that was a year ago, and I feel I've grown as a person," Karen replied loftily. "Besides, it's cheaper than Disneyland."

"That is true. Ugh, Taylor Kelly. Look at this witch," Hen complained. "She came into the station the other day wanting to do a story about Buck and Eddie and the tsunami, the opportunistic little weasel."

"You know that's a dye job, right?" Karen murmured, her eyes trained on the TV. "No way that's natural."

And then they both fell silent, as Buck and Eddie strolled across their TV screen with Christopher between them, their arms around each other.

"Oh shit," Hen said.

**~*~*~**

_**Bobby and Athena** _

_"Last year, Los Angeles firefighter Evan Buckley was baby-sitting his partner's son at the pier when the tsunami hit. Firefighter Buckley bravely fought against the waves to rescue the child, and several other people, pulling them to safety on top of a downed fire truck…"_

"Oh my god, she isn't," Athena said sharply. "She's not."

Bobby watched numbly as his two best firefighters ambled along the pier hand-in-hand, Christopher at their side. Buck was clearly saying something to make Eddie laugh, and it was working, because Eddie's face was lit up with delight. And then there was a shot of them sitting on a bench together, Christopher in between them with cotton candy all over his face, mooning at each other over his head.

Bobby buried his face in his hands.

**~*~*~**

_**Maddie and Chimney** _

_"Tragically, Firefighter Buckley was separated from the child when the second wave hit. Firefighter Buckley searched the ruined city streets for his partner's son, who was born with cerebral palsy, until they were finally reunited that night at the command centre set up at the VA Hospital. Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz are both decorated members of the Los Angeles Fire Department…"_

"Oh no," Maddie gasped, her hands clapped over her mouth. "Oh no, no. Chim."

That redheaded reporter was still talking about them, still following them through the pier, flashing up segments of their interview from almost two years earlier, together with shots from Buck's Instagram and pictures of them in uniform. The piece finally ended on a shot of them kissing on the pier, the ocean in the background, and Chimney switched off the television in disgust.

"Oh my god." Maddie was crying. "They're not out, Chim. Nobody is supposed to know. This is horrible. Why would she do this?"

"She's a monster. We threw her out the other day – clearly this is revenge." His phone began to ring, and he answered it angrily. "Hen."

"Did you see it?"

"Yeah, we did."

"I tried ringing Buck, but he didn't answer. Oh god, Chim. This is _awful._ "

"I know, I know." Chimney had one arm wrapped around his pregnant girlfriend, as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Maddie's extremely upset."

"Do you think Bobby saw?"

"I really don't know. Probably. Everyone's going to see, aren't they?"

**~*~*~**

Buck, Eddie and Christopher were at the movies. They were driving past the theatre on the way to get some dinner when Christopher spotted a movie poster for the latest Pixar movie, and Eddie turned into the parking lot. "Why not?" he'd said. "Let's finish the day off right."

By the time they arrived home it was late, and Christopher was asleep when Buck lifted him out of the car and carried him into the darkened house. Eddie followed them in, flipping on the lights and locking the doors. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tossed it on the bench without checking it.

"I'll sort him out," he said to Buck. "I'm starving. Do you think—"

"Yeah, I'll make us something." Buck gave him a quick kiss and passed Christopher across. "Go on."

Eddie carried Christopher down the hall to his bedroom. Christopher was sound asleep, completely out of it, and Eddie couldn't bear to wake him up for a shower. Instead he cleaned his face with a wet wipe, changed him into his pyjamas and tucked him into bed. He gave him three kisses on the forehead, made sure the fan was on low and the window was open a crack, and then went back out to the kitchen.

Buck was at the stove. He'd changed into a pair of sweats, and Eddie pressed a kiss to the back of his neck and hugged him from behind before wandering back down to the bedroom to get changed as well. When he returned, he gave Buck another hug and a kiss on the neck – Buck leaned back against him, dropping his head back so Eddie had more access – and then went to check his phone. It was full of messages and missed calls.

"What the fuck," he said in a low voice. He had a multitude of voice messages and texts from almost everyone he knew – including Lena Bosko, whose message simply said, ' _I KNEW IT_.'

"What's wrong?" Buck was making them bacon and eggs for dinner, and he glanced at Eddie absent-mindedly. "Everything okay?"

"No."

"Why not? What's happened?"

Eddie clicked on the link Hen had sent him, and a video began to play. He held it out so Buck could see. "We've gone viral, apparently, courtesy of your friend Taylor Kelly."

Buck's jaw dropped.

They watched it in silence, Buck turning every so often to check their food, and finally, in disgust, Eddie clicked his phone off and threw it on the bench, burying his face in Buck's shirt.

Buck let out a breath, draping one arm around his shoulders. "Well. Fuck."

"Yeah."

"Your parents?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well, that's great." Buck flipped their eggs and said, "I should've been nicer to her. I just got so angry when she was talking about Christopher like that."

"This isn't your fault," Eddie said bitterly. "It's my fault for making you stay in the closet for so long."

"No, it's not. I told you I'd come out when you were ready." Buck extracted himself from Eddie's grasp, leaning over to pop some bread into the toaster. "I'm surprised you're not angrier."

"What's the point? What can I do? My parents are blowing up my phone, Bobby knows now… we're going to be called in tomorrow and split up." Eddie leaned against the counter, staring at the floor. "Jesus, Buck."

"So call your parents."

"You don't know my parents."

"I had a very nice conversation with your father at your induction," Buck replied. "He likes me."

"That was before he knew that you and I were fucking," Eddie retorted.

"Is that all we're doing?"

"Oh, Buck, seriously—"

"Eddie, my love," Buck said patiently, turning the heat down on the stove, "there is nothing they can do other than yell at you. They can't take Christopher away. They live in El Paso. They can't make you move back. They can't send you to conversion therapy. If you want to go no-contact, we can do it. Hell, I've been non-contact with my family for years. We will get through this, and if we get split up then… I'll go to another station. It's fine."

"No, you will not," Eddie snapped. "You and I are a team. They're not splitting us up."

"We might not have a choice."

"Not after everything you went through to get back with us, Buck—"

"I only care about you and Christopher," Buck interjected. "When we started this, Eds, I thought… I thought it was fun, sneaking around. I knew I loved you, but… I never really thought you would want to settle down with me. Not when you could have anyone you wanted."

Eddie gripped the counter with both hands, staring at him unhappily.

"But then… I don't know. You pushed for this, for me. You've been fighting for us from the start, even though you haven't wanted to come out." The toaster popped, and Buck grabbed the slices and threw them on a plate, sliding in another two pieces of bread. "And then… I realised that if we're going to be together properly, like we both want to – living together and marriage, then maybe that comes with sacrifices. And if one of those sacrifices is me giving up the 118 and working at another station, then so be it. You and Chris are more important to me than the job. Besides, I feel more secure now, in my place with everyone – Chim and Maddie are together so he'll always be in my life, and Hen's one of my best friends, and Bobby's like… the father I always wished I had. And you, my love… you're my everything." Buck's voice was low. "So be it. Whatever happens, happens, but I have you and Chris. I don't need anything else."

Eddie took a step towards him and wrapped him in a fierce hug, pressing his face against his back. Buck chuckled, leaning against him. "Well, I'll keep fighting for us," Eddie said quietly, "because I think we can have it all."

"And I'll stand right by your side, as always."

Headlights lit up the kitchen. Eddie turned to look, still holding onto Buck, and said, "Someone has come looking for us."

"Place your bet. I say it's Maddie."

"My money is on Pepa." Eddie kissed the back of his neck, and released him, heading out to the door to investigate. Bobby and Athena were striding up the path to the house, and he called to Buck, "We're both losers."

Buck gave a laugh. "That's unsurprising."

Eddie unlocked the door and held it open for them. Athena gave him a worried smile as she stepped into the house, rubbing his arm quickly, but Bobby had his head down, eyes averted. "Come in," he said to them. "We're just about to have some dinner."

Buck peered out from the kitchen curiously. "Oh, hey. We know about it."

"You knew she was going to do that?" Athena asked sharply.

"No, I mean our phones have been blowing up. We were at the movies when it aired." Buck held up his spatula in a wave, and then returned to the stove.

"Can I get you guys anything? Water? Tea, coffee?" Eddie asked.

"We're fine, Eddie. You guys fix your dinner. We were just worried when you weren't answering."

Bobby was silent. Eddie gave him a concerned look, and then returned to Buck's side in the kitchen. Buck handed him a plate with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on it, dripping with hot sauce, just the way he liked it. "God, you're amazing."

"I know." Buck handed over a second plate with his own meal and said, "You want a beer?"

"Yeah, that'd be good." Eddie carried their food out to the table where Bobby and Athena were waiting, sitting across from them.

Buck joined him a moment later, setting a beer down in front of Eddie. "You guys don't mind if we eat, do you?" he asked as he took his seat.

Athena smiled at him. "Go on," she said. "It smells delicious."

Buck nodded at Bobby. "He taught me everything I know."

Bobby lifted his head then, his gaze settling on Buck. "And you didn't feel like you could tell me? _Buck._ "

"It was me," Eddie said instantly. "Not Buck. It's me. Don't blame him."

"I don't blame either of you. I'm not mad. I just…" Bobby trailed off. "I feel stupid for not having realised there was something going on."

"We've been careful at work," Buck said, picking up half of his sandwich.

"Not that careful. Athena showed me your Instagram." Bobby clasped his hands together on the table. "You know I'm happy for you, right? I've only ever wanted you both to be happy."

Buck took a huge bite of his meal and nodded. Eddie said, "I'm scared you're going to split us up."

Bobby frowned at him. "For what reason? I didn't even know you were together. You hid it so well, for months, that I had no idea. It's not like you two were making out in the fire truck and thinking that we wouldn't notice."

Eddie glanced at Buck, who had sauce in the corner of his mouth, and said, "We have an agreement to be professional at work."

"Not sure I believe that," Athena said dryly.

"It's true." Eddie glanced at Buck, who gave a greasy grin. "What happens with our jobs?"

"I've already spoken to the Chief, who saw it on TV," Bobby replied, rubbing his eyes. "He's not happy about it. You two will have to explain yourselves. I'll stand up for you; I'm sure the rest our team will as well. I'll fight for you to stay together. You'll have to sign all kinds of things, no doubt, but it has been done at other stations and I'm sure we can do it at ours as well. And… I figured Taylor Kelly has done this out of revenge, and the Chief is quite upset, so… there has been talk of suing the network, but…"

"It's damn good publicity," Athena remarked, checking her phone. "You guys are trending on Twitter."

Buck made a face. There was sauce all around his mouth, and Eddie sighed, hopping up from his seat to grab a napkin from the kitchen. He passed it to Buck, who wiped his lips and said, "This means my parents are going to find out too, right?"

"Most likely," Athena replied.

"Oh great, just what we need." Buck downed a mouthful of beer, and then took another huge bite of his sandwich.

Eddie asked, "When you say it's damn good publicity, what does that mean?"

"Well, as much as I don't condone her in outing you, she paints you both in a positive light," Athena replied. "And the shots of you two at the pier with Christopher were very sweet. I mean… I don't know. It could be worse, is what I'm saying. It's not like she caught you two having sex under the pier, for example."

"But she knew what she was doing," Bobby cut in. "After what happened at the station last week – I should've put two and two together then and I didn't – she must have seen you guys at the pier and leapt at the opportunity to do what she wanted."

"And using your Instagram photos as well," Athena tutted, shaking her head. "That was low."

Eddie said to Buck, "Maybe you should put a lock on that thing before you get flooded with people hitting on you."

"It is locked," Buck replied through a mouthful of food.

"Then how did…" Eddie trailed off and glared at Buck. "Is she your friend on there? Give me your phone."

Buck snorted with laughter, wiping his hands before heading into the kitchen to retrieve his phone. He passed it to Eddie, who unlocked it and paused, reading through his messages. "Ah, man. You should call Maddie after I do this. Chim says she's pretty upset."

"Okay." Buck finished up his sandwich and stood up to clear his plate.

Athena watched with amusement as Eddie opened Instagram, scrolled through Buck's followers until he found Taylor Kelly, and then blocked her. He paused and said, "Hey Buck, when did my sisters start following you?"

"I don't know. When I met them at Christopher's birthday? Last year?"

"And you follow them?"

"Yeah, I like to keep up to date on what's happening in El Paso." Buck returned to the table, running his damp fingers across Eddie's neck to make him jump, before sliding into his seat. "What's wrong?"

"No wonder they always know what we're up to." Eddie made a face at him, passing the phone back across. "You gotta stop making friends with everyone."

"I'm a friendly guy, I can't help it." Buck grinned at him. His phone began to ring, Maddie's picture flashing on the screen, and he jumped up to answer it, wandering into the kitchen. "Hey, Maddie. Yeah, sorry, we were out."

Eddie looked at Bobby again. "I really am sorry, you know. I just… I was trying to protect him."

"Protect him? From me?" Bobby looked hurt.

"Well… yeah. He's so scared of losing you guys," Eddie said in a low voice. "Of having the team taken away from him. I know it's in the back of his mind, after the lawsuit and everything… that he could lose it all. So that's one of the reasons I wanted to keep it quiet… so that we could prove to you that we can do our job and be in a relationship, and one doesn't have to affect the other."

Athena gave Bobby a pointed look. Bobby met her eyes, and then said quietly, "I would've split you up."

"Yeah. I know."

"I might still have to if the Department isn't on board. But I'll fight for you." Bobby rubbed his face again and said, "Listen, as your friend you know… I'm nothing but happy for you. You know that, right?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"And when's the wedding?" Athena asked wryly.

He grinned. "I don't know. My parents… jeez. I don't know. We've just got one more load to bring over from the loft, and he hands the keys back next week. I guess there's no rush. But I kinda want to rush, I don't know. Chris is really excited about it."

"Are we talking a big wedding?" Athena asked hopefully.

"I don't know. Ask Buck what he wants. I'll do whatever." Eddie glanced over towards the kitchen, where Buck was leaning against the counter, the phone to his ear, placating Maddie. "My parents are going to be the problem."

"We'll support you," Bobby replied. "If you need us to, I mean."

"Whatever you need," Athena added. "You just let us know."

He smiled at them. "Thank you."

~~

Bobby and Athena left, and Eddie did the dishes while Buck returned phone calls – firstly to Hen, who ranted for a few minutes about calling a lawyer, then passed the phone over to Karen who wanted to know what the pier was like, and if their kids would enjoy it. He then spoke to Eddie's aunt for a couple of minutes before handing the phone over to Eddie, listening with raised eyebrows while they had a heated discussion in Spanish. He guessed it was about Eddie's parents, but he wasn't sure.

The next call he received was from Josh, who shrieked at him, "I KNEW IT! I knew you two would get it together!" while Buck laughed at him.

And then, just as he was about to switch his phone off, an unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. He hesitated briefly, watching as Eddie tidied up the living room, and then answered. "Hello?"

"Hi… Buck. It's Abby."

"Oh." Buck scratched the back of his neck. "Hi. Sorry, it's pretty late, we're about to go to bed—"

"I know. I'm sorry. I still had your number. I just wanted to call and say that I saw the news story, and… I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you. I wish you'd said something when we caught up that day."

Buck paused, and then said, "It happened after that, but thanks."

Eddie glanced at him questioningly.

"Your partner… was at the derailment, in the train car with you," Abby said awkwardly. "Sam recognised him."

"Oh. Yeah, he was. He joined the 118 after you left."

Eddie straightened up, staring at him, his lips pressed together tightly.

"Seems like you've made yourself a really nice family," she said. "I'm so happy for you, Buck. I was worried, after we talked."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm doing great."

Eddie let out a huff of breath and stepped over to him, eyebrows raised. Buck couldn't help but grin at his expression – pure, unrestrained jealousy – and reached out to smooth the frown from his face.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sorry to have bothered you. I just… I saw the news clip and I thought… I wanted to tell you that I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. You too. Listen, I gotta go, we've got an early shift tomorrow. Thanks for calling. Good luck with everything."

"You too, Buck—"

Eddie took the phone out of his hands, ended the call, and blocked the number.

Buck arched his eyebrows. " _Edmundo_."

"No, I know, I know, but still. Fucking hell. I'm sick of these women having your number. You're not still her friend on Instagram as well, are you?" He opened the app, scrolling through Buck's followers. "Is she on here? Buck."

"No," Buck said, gently taking the phone from him. "She's not."

"Good." Eddie raked a hand through his hair, nodding with satisfaction.

"You gotta stop this," Buck murmured, resting both hands on Eddie's shoulders and lightly squeezing. "I keep telling you, Eds, I've only got eyes for you."

Eddie relented, smiling at him. "I know."

"You're the only person in my life who has never abandoned me, you know, even though… a couple of times, I probably deserved it." He rubbed the exposed skin on Eddie's neck with his thumbs, gazing at him seriously. "I never knew what love was until you gave me yours."

Eddie's face contorted slightly. He gave a slight nod, swallowing hard, and then said solemnly, "I will never abandon you."

"I know." Buck leaned in to kiss him, savouring it; every single second. Life was full of fleeting moments, but he could drag those moments out, with Eddie in his arms, the world slowing down around them. Maybe a minute went by, maybe it was longer, but soon Eddie was leading him down the hall to the bedroom, glancing over his shoulder at him with eyes full of promise.

Inside the room, with the door locked and a blanket stuffed up against the base, they shed their clothing and kissed again, embracing at the end of the bed, trading kisses like breaths. Eddie pushed Buck down and slid on top of him, and Buck tilted his head back as Eddie's lips ghosted along his jaw to his ear, pressing a light kiss there before continuing downward. He sucked a hickey at the base of his neck – a little one, just a little love bite – and looked up at him again, his eyes dark and glittering.

"I love you," he said, in a voice filled with emotion. "I'm sorry I get so… possessive."

"I think it's pretty hot."

"Yeah, but it's not cool, though." Eddie rolled them over so they were on their sides, facing each other. He rubbed his finger over Buck's birthmark and said, "I never get tired of looking at you."

Buck rubbed his nose against Eddie's, blushing a bit. "Likewise."

That made Eddie laugh and kiss him again, adoringly, as one hand slid down his body to grip his waist, just above his hip. Buck lost himself in the moment again; the world drifting away, nothing but the two of them, wrapped up in each other.

~

In the early morning, while Eddie slept, Buck put his headphones in and watched the video again, absently casting his fingers through Eddie's hair. He couldn't find it in himself to be mad about the video itself (Taylor Kelly was another story, and he hoped never to cross paths with her again). She hadn't lied about anything and she hadn't blown the story out of proportion – Buck and Christopher had gotten swept up in the tsunami together; they'd been separated and reunited, and now Buck and Eddie were in a relationship.

The thing that got to him, that he hadn't watched the night before, were the interviews with the people he helped to save on the fire truck – and suddenly that day was right back in the front of his mind, and he was choking back tears, trying not to wake Eddie.

That in itself was almost impossible, because Eddie was soon blinking at him sleepily, realising he was upset and sitting up with concern. "Baby?"

"Sorry," Buck managed to say, hiding his face. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's wrong?" Eddie took the phone out of his hands. "What's happened?"

"No, I just watched it again, and—"

"We'll sue," Eddie said swiftly. "If it upsets you this much—"

"No, no, it's just that… I blocked a lot of it out, you know?" Buck wiped his eyes, swallowing hard. "I just got on with everything afterwards, tried not to think too much about it. But it was really… it was really scary, Eds. And… sometimes I have nightmares about losing Christopher. And just seeing the footage of it, and the interviews with the people, I… it just brought it back. Sorry."

"Hey, you have nothing to apologise for," Eddie said reassuringly, slipping his arm around Buck's shoulders. "Baby, look at me."

"No, I just… sorry, I'm… I'm not crying, I just…"

"Hey, hey," Eddie murmured, physically pulling Buck in for a hug. "Hey. You never told me this."

"I didn't want you to worry. I've got it under control."

"Mmm, like I had the fighting thing under control?" Eddie's lips brushed against Buck's forehead. "Baby, you can talk to me; you can show emotion. It's okay. I knew you were a bit freaked out yesterday. Maybe we rushed it?"

"No, I wanted to do it for Chris, so he knows not to be afraid." Buck tucked his head under Eddie's chin. "Sometimes I wish I'd told you where we were going that day… that I hadn't said to Chris in the morning that we'd tell you all about it at night. I wish you'd known and come to find us… maybe he wouldn't have gotten swept away if you were there."

"I wouldn't have been able to find you," Eddie said quietly. "I wouldn't have known where to look. In a way, I'm glad I didn't know… I don't think I could've done my job. It was a tsunami, Buck… he doesn't blame you and I never have, and I never will."

"No?"

"No, baby." Eddie kissed his temple. "If anything, that whole… thing, with the tsunami and the lawsuit, and us being apart… it made me realise how much I'd come to depend on you. I used to talk it out with Frank a lot, to try and figure out why I was so angry about it; why I took it so personally when you did that… and it's because… well, firstly, I didn't understand where you were coming from, you know? And secondly, I wasn't thinking about Bobby or the others at all. I was thinking about me, not having you around. Not being able to call you. And that was the thing that made me so angry, Buck. Just… having our connection severed when I felt like I needed you the most."

Buck sniffled, burying his face against Eddie's chest.

"And Frank said to me one day, why is your happiness so wrapped up in your friend? And I didn't have an answer for him," he said with a bitter chuckle. "Because I didn't know it myself. I just knew that when you were around, life was better, and when you weren't around, I was miserable. You're the sun in the sky, and I'm…"

"Like a sunflower," Buck finished, and Eddie snorted. "No. Sunflowers need the sun, Eds. I'm the sun, and you're a sunflower. You need me to give you sunlight."

"That's arrogant."

"You just don't want to be called a sunflower. You're not the moon, if that's what you're thinking… that I'm light and you're dark, because… I don't see us that way. You and Christopher came into my life when I needed you the most and made me a better person. So… we need each other, I think. You're a sunflower."

Eddie gave him a little push, shaking his head. "No—"

"Yes." Buck pressed his lips right underneath Eddie's chin. "Now I've got you for all the sweet baby comments."

"If you call me a sunflower in front of people—"

"You'll wilt?"

Eddie's eyes lit up, and suddenly they were wrestling on the bed, kicking the covers off. Buck let Eddie pin him down with his hands over his head, tilting his chin up. Eddie smiled down at him and said quietly, "You can call me that when we're alone, and nowhere else."

"Deal." Buck smirked at him, chuckling when Eddie gave him a kiss. "Mmm, morning breath."

"Shut up," Eddie laughed, pulling away to check the time. "Shit. We have to get up."

Buck groaned, lying in bed for a few more moments, before reluctantly rising to his feet. They made the bed quickly, working together, and once the pillows were back in place, and Buck was pulling clothes out of the drawers, Eddie said, "Hey – you and me, Buck, we both have our shit. But we've got each other now, so… don't feel like you have to hide it from me, if you're upset."

Buck flashed him a smile. "And vice versa," he said, "Mr I-like-to-suppress-my-emotions-and-then-unleash-them-in-unhealthy-ways."

Eddie threw a pair of socks at him. "Jerk."

"That's rude, Eddie – you wouldn't want your son to hear you calling me names."

"Yeah, he'd take your side."

~~

There was a wolf whistle when they strode into the station together, and Buck immediately threw his hand up in a middle finger at Martinez, who was on top of the ladder truck. There was some scattered applause, but Eddie kept his head down, pointedly heading towards the locker room behind Buck.

"Diaz, Buckley," Bobby called from the balcony, just as they were about to enter the room. "My office in five minutes. The Chief is here."

Buck cast Eddie a worried look. Once they were inside the locker room, changing into their uniforms, Buck said, "I'll get them to transfer me, if it comes down to it."

"No, you won't." Eddie yanked his shirt over his head. "I will. I'll deal with it."

"Eds—"

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Hen asked with concern, pushing open the door to the locker room, Chimney at her heels. "Bobby has already rung the network this morning and put in a complaint against her, not that it will do any good whatsoever."

"We're fine," Eddie replied, glancing over at her, his uniform in hand. "All good here."

"New tattoo," Chimney commented, gesturing to the hearts on his chest.

Eddie glanced down at himself, and then tilted his head towards Buck. "His idea. He figures we can add a fourth when we have a kid together."

Buck held his shirt open, so they could see his matching tattoo. "It's dumb," he said, embarrassed. "We just felt like getting inked again."

Hen smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, you guys," she said, nudging Chimney. "They're going to have _babies._ "

Chimney rolled his eyes. "Stealing my thunder a bit, aren't you, Buckaroo?"

"Nobody said it was imminent, Chim." Buck buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in, examining himself in the mirror. "Do I look okay? Like I shouldn't be fired?"

"You're not going to be fired," Chimney replied. "The Chief isn't like that. Besides, the way this thing has gone viral – it's a good thing for the department."

"It's gone viral?" Eddie asked with concern.

"Yeah, it was all over the national news this morning. They're looking for positive stories, and they found one. I'm surprised nobody has contacted you directly." Hen leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.

Eddie exchanged a look with Buck, who shook his head slightly. "We're not interested," Eddie replied. "We didn't ask for this and we don't want it."

"My phone has been on 'do not disturb' since last night," Buck added. "I'm expecting calls from my parents. Should be great."

"And what about your parents?" Chimney asked Eddie with concern.

"They've called; I haven't rung them back."

He had listened to the voice messages from his family, early in the morning while Buck and Christopher were distracted making breakfast. The first few messages were angry – his father, especially – but his sisters were both positive, surprised at the sudden turn of events. The final message was from his mother, who simply reiterated that he needed to call them.

He just… couldn't. He'd spoken to his Abuela and Aunt Pepa, but that was it, and Pepa was prepared to take an aggressive stance with the El Paso side of his family. He was content to let her. She loved an argument.

He figured it came down to two things – if they were angry and homophobic, and made any mention of taking Christopher away from him, he'd go no-contact with them. If they were angry that he hadn't told them, but there was no homophobia and no mention of him being an unfit father, he'd try to work it out with them.

Besides, if the latter were the case, Buck was such a charm offensive that he was sure he'd have them on side in no time.

They finished dressing and went up to the balcony, Hen and Chimney trailing behind. There was another wolf whistle from across the station – Andrews this time, and Buck gave him two middle fingers as he laughed at them – but everyone quietened down when Bobby gestured for them to join him in his office.

Chief Johnson was already seated at the desk when they entered, but he stood and shook both their hands.

"Nice to meet you," he said to them.

Buck and Eddie took seats side-by-side. Eddie wasn't nervous, but he could tell Buck was, and reached out to take his hand.

Bobby said, "Chief Johnson saw the news piece last night. He wants to know what you want to do about it."

"I understand she caused you some problems when she was here last week," Chief Johnson said, turning in his seat to face them. "That this attention is unwanted."

Buck glanced at Eddie, who said, "She made some comments about how it would make for a good story; how Buck and my son, Christopher, were on the pier during the tsunami and were separated. She said some things that were out of line."

"What did she say?" Chief Johnson asked curiously.

Eddie hesitated, but Buck said flatly, "That it would've made for a better story if Christopher had died. Christopher has cerebral palsy. We went to the pier together that day, and I managed to rescue him, but the second wave washed him away. Christopher was my responsibility and—"

"Buck spent all day searching for him," Eddie cut in. "We were all finally reunited that night. It's not something we ever wanted to be public knowledge, despite… how good of a story it is, I guess. I had to explain it to Christopher this morning and he was upset, again."

Chief Johnson nodded slowly, thoughtfully, and then looked over at Bobby. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure we should sue her, but… I'm angry about it. I'm angry that two of my finest firefighters have been publicly outed on television; that they're now under immense scrutiny and that Eddie's son has been dragged into it as well. It's not fair to them."

"I agree," Chief Johnson replied, surprising them both. "And you are two of the department's finest firefighters. I've been told all about your heroics during the tsunami, Firefighter Buckley, and you, Firefighter Diaz, rescuing the young boy trapped underground. You've both been on our radar. I was surprised to find out about the romantic attachment, but it's been done before, in other stations in the city. I don't see why it's a problem for it to happen here, so long as your Captain feels that you two are behaving professionally."

"To be honest, Chief, they've kept it so under wraps that I didn't know myself until last week," Bobby replied.

Eddie and Buck exchanged a surprised look. "I thought you found out last night," Buck said.

"No. I finally figured it out last week, when Athena – my wife," he said to Chief Johnson, "was admiring your Instagram page, Buck."

"Oh."

"There are some waivers and things you'll have to complete," Bobby said, "but if the Chief thinks we can make it work, we will."

"Thank you," Eddie said gratefully. "We won't let you down."

"I wouldn't mind an invite to the wedding, though," Chief Johnson said, winking at them. "I've never attended a gay wedding before."

Buck laughed, relaxing, holding onto Eddie's hand loosely. "Well, I can't promise it'll be anything like you've seen on TV," he said, "but we'll give it our best shot."

~

They ended the meeting with the Chief deciding to follow up directly with the news station to issue a warning, and to shield them from any other reporters that might be interested in pursuing the story. They were able to grab a coffee with the rest of the team before the alarms sounded, and spent the rest of the day out of the station – first attending to a bus crash, and then a factory fire on the outskirts of town.

It was almost dark when they arrived back at the station, but before the engine could pull inside it came to a sudden stop, and Bobby said into the headset, "There are cameras here, boys. Stay in the truck until we can get rid of them. I'll call Athena."

"Jeez," Buck said, peering out the window. "Are we really that big of a deal?"

Eddie reached out to take his hand. "I hope they're not at our house."

"Oh man, you think?"

"I'll get Athena to send a squad car around to check," Bobby promised them. "Stay in the truck until I say. Got it, Buck?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The engine came to a stop inside the station and the rest of the team jumped out. Eddie took his headset off and hung it up, listening to Bobby shouting at the reporters to get out. Buck stretched his legs out, yawning. "I just want to go to bed," he said to Eddie. "Maybe we should book into a hotel."

"I'm not happy about being chased out of our house, but I do like the idea of ordering room service." Eddie leaned against Buck, grinning as he was automatically pulled into an embrace. "You doing okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. How are you?" Buck nuzzled his forehead lightly.

"A bit surprised about the Chief, but…"

"You thought you'd have to fight for us."

"I did, yeah. I was all ready to." Eddie closed his eyes. "I'm wiped out."

"Me too. Could do with a nap."

**~*~*~**

_**Bobby** _

"So I'm going to ask you to leave," Bobby said to the reporters, in his best, most official 'Captain' voice. "They will not make any statements; they will not do interviews; they are not interested in any television offers."

"But Captain Nash, don't you think, from a human-interest angle, that it would be beneficial for the American people to hear from the two firefighters themselves?" a reporter from NBC asked, the microphone thrust in Bobby's face.

"No," Bobby said bluntly. "I don't."

"But—"

"I think Captain Nash has said all he needs to say." Athena's voice boomed from behind them, and the gaggle of reporters turned to look as she strode up the footpath, flanked by two other officers. "At no point was their permission given to appear on camera and they do not want to appear on camera _now_ , so you can leave. I'm asking you very nicely to leave."

There was some grumbling, some protests, but finally they began to file back to their news vans. The group of firefighters lined up protectively in front the station stayed in place until the last van was trundling away, and Athena rolled her eyes at Bobby. "Ridiculous," she remarked, kissing him on the cheek. "I've sent a car to their house. I'll make sure it's clear before they head home."

"Thanks. See you in an hour or so," Bobby said, squeezing her hand before gesturing for his crew to head back inside. "We'll have some dinner before the next shift arrives," he called to them as he went to the truck, pulling open the door. "Guys—"

Buck and Eddie were asleep together, Eddie's head on Buck's shoulder, their legs stretched out in front of them.

Bobby laughed to himself, before reluctantly waking them up. "Come on, guys. It's safe to leave the truck now."

**~*~*~**

The coast was clear when they returned home. Athena had arranged for a police car to sit in front all night; just in case any media decided to show up. Feeling guilty, Buck brought them out some snacks and drinks to tide them over until they were relieved in the middle of the night.

Christopher was confused by the police car and kept peering out the front windows. Eddie finally sat down with him at the kitchen table while Buck cooked dinner and said, "They're only here because of the thing about us on television. Athena just wants to make sure that reporters don't turn up here and disturb us."

"So we're not in trouble?"

"No, not at all."

"Or in danger?"

"No, definitely not." Eddie smiled reassuringly at him."Everything will go back to normal soon, I promise. We finish cleaning out Buck's apartment this weekend, and then he's officially moved in."

"He is now," Christopher remarked.

Buck pretended to gasp and clutch his heart to make Christopher laugh, and then asked warningly, "Do you want a smiley face on your plate or not?"

Christopher laughed at him, but then grew serious again, giving Eddie a questioning look. "So it's us three now," he said, tilting his head to the side.

Eddie nodded. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes." Christopher nodded solemnly, and then smiled so brightly that Eddie's heart almost burst. "I'm really happy," he said, pressing his hands to his face. "So happy."

"We're happy too," Eddie said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "It's going to be the three of us, and we're going to go on adventures together. How does that sound?"

" _Amazing._ "

"Yeah, it does sound amazing," Buck agreed, popping a carrot into his mouth. "Dinner is almost ready, you guys. Set the table, Eds?"

"On it." Eddie stood up, kissing Christopher on the forehead before grabbing some plates and cutlery from the cupboard. He was laying everything out on the table when there was a sharp knock on the door. Concerned, he hurried over to answer it, and found one of their police officers waiting for him. "Is everything okay?"

"Sorry to bother you, Mr Diaz," the officer said. "These people pulled up and they say they're your parents, but we have to check everyone."

"My parents?" Eddie switched the outside light on – sure enough, his parents were standing in the driveway, flanked by the other police officer. "Oh god. Yeah, that's them. Thanks."

"Okay. We're out here if you need us."

_We might_ , Eddie thought, waving for his parents to come into the yard. He leaned back inside the door and called, "Buck, my parents are here."

"Okay," came the response. "I can make extra if you need me to."

Eddie held the door open for his parents, who were sans luggage. They both wore matching expressions of disapproval, and neither of them acknowledged him as they stepped into the house. He closed the door after them, and said, "You really had to fly out?"

"You weren't returning our calls." Helena looked around the living room, sniffing the air. "What are you making?"

"Buck's cooking dinner. It's a chicken stir fry thing," Eddie replied.

"He lives here now?" she asked.

"Yes, we're living together." Eddie went to the kitchen, where Christopher was still sitting at the table, watching Buck make dinner. "Hey, your grandparents are here," he said to him, and Christopher slid off the chair and followed him out to the living room.

Eddie watched as they fawned over him, leaving him with them for a second to check in with Buck. "Listen, I don't know how this is going to go," he said quietly.

Buck said, "Should I make extra? I can throw in some more chicken."

"Do you mind?"

"No." He kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to win them over."

"You're so optimistic." Eddie patted his back and returned to the living room, to find his parents seated on the couch, Christopher on his father's lap. Eddie eyed the possessive way his father had his hands around Christopher's waist, but decided not to comment on it, instead taking a seat in the armchair across from them. "Buck is going to make extra for you, if you're hungry."

Helena and Ramon exchanged a look. "We're not staying," she said stiffly. "We want you to explain to us what's going on, because we certainly didn't appreciate seeing it on television, not to mention the fact that you haven't bothered to return our phone calls."

Christopher gave Eddie a confused, concerned look. Eddie said, "He doesn't need to hear this."

"We're worried about you, Eddie. Genuinely worried," Ramon said, holding Christopher on his lap. "You're making decisions that we don't understand."

Buck appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, catching his eyes briefly. Eddie was about to speak when Christopher piped up with, "Buck needs my help in the kitchen, can I go?"

"Yes, go on," Eddie said to him, but when Christopher tried to slide out of his grandfather's grasp, Ramon held on. "Dad. Please let him go."

Buck was standing in the kitchen doorway. He was watching and listening silently, ready to step in if he needed to. They made brief eye contact, but Ramon finally released his grasp on Christopher. He slid to the floor, holding onto the couch for support. Buck stepped out of the kitchen and said pleasantly, "We've met before, Mr and Mrs Diaz. Nice to see you again."

Helena turned to him, her expression darkening. "I wish I could say the same thing."

"Mom," Eddie said sharply. "Don't."

Buck glanced at Eddie, took Christopher by the hand, and led him into the kitchen. Eddie heard him say, "All right, chef, what's next? Taste test?"

His father leaned forward, rubbing his brow. "Edmundo, what the hell is going on? We're sent a video last night and it's you and this man kissing – what are we supposed to think? You've told us nothing about this; you've never mentioned that you were in a relationship."

"I didn't know how you'd react."

"Well, we would've appreciated a heads up." Helena clasped her hands together tightly. "Are you… gay? Is that why your marriage failed?"

"My marriage failed because Shannon and I weren't ever compatible," he replied. "We rushed into things and we shouldn’t have."

"But you haven't answered the question."

He shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'm in love with a man and I'm planning on marrying him, but other than that, I'm still the same person. Why do I need to label myself?"

"We just want to know why you never told us about this predilection of yours."

He made a face. "Not that it's any of your business, but Buck's the only guy I've ever felt this way about. What's the problem? What does it matter? I'm in a loving relationship; we're living together—"

"But this is what worries us," Ramon said sharply. "You're rushing into things; making decisions without thinking them through or what it means for Christopher. You can't just decide you love a man."

"I didn't just _decide_. This didn’t happen overnight. Buck and I have known each other for nearly three years," Eddie replied, trying to keep his voice as calm and reasonable as possible. "We've been dating for six months, friends for two years more than that. I know him better than anyone. Shannon and I… it was different, and you know it. We'd only known each other and been dating a couple of months when she fell pregnant."

His parents exchanged a look. "Then why didn't you tell us?" Helena asked. "It's obviously serious."

"Because… we didn't tell anyone, for a long time. That video you saw? That was us being outed," Eddie explained. "I wanted to tell you on my own terms, but I wasn't even given that chance." He sat up straighter, watching as Buck made a face at Christopher in the kitchen to make him laugh. "Listen. I know you think that I don't make good choices; that I rush into things, but this is different. You know Buck; you liked him. He's great with Christopher. They're best friends. I can't think of anyone better to help me raise him."

"But you haven't even attempted to date a woman," Ramon murmured. "You—"

"There is no one else for me." Eddie's voice was low. "He is it. Remember when you told me how you two met? How you clicked instantly? That's us, Dad. That's how I knew that it was different."

They were both silent. Helena shifted in her seat, swallowing hard. "You keep turning against us, all the time. I don't even know who you are anymore."

"This isn't how I raised you," Ramon added. "We wanted better for you; for Christopher, and you are determined to drag him down with you."

Eddie couldn't help but flinch. He looked towards the kitchen, for help, and as if reading his mind Buck met his eyes. He said something to Christopher and then stepped out into the room, drying his hands on a towel.

"I heard that," he said, clearing his throat.

They both turned to him with surprise.

"You know that Eddie is like, the greatest father ever, right?" he asked. "And that Christopher is unbelievably lucky to have him? That he would do anything for him, literally anything at all, in order to give Christopher the best possible chance to succeed? That kid is going to do amazing things and it's all because of Eddie."

"Now, you're not involved in this," Ramon said sharply, holding a hand up to him. "I'm not interested in your opinion."

"I am involved in it, because I'm going to marry your son," Buck replied bluntly. "He and Christopher are the best thing that have ever happened to me and I'm so thankful, every single day, to have them. You have no idea what you're missing out on."

"We're not missing out – he took our grandson away from us," Helena argued.

Buck shrugged. "He is Christopher's father, and he makes the decisions," he replied. "Not you."

"But he's wrong," Ramon snapped, frustrated.

"I think you are. I can't believe you're his parents and you don't see what I see," Buck continued, striding into the living room to stand beside Eddie. "Your son is _incredible_. How do you not see it? How can you be sitting here speaking to him like this? Saying that he's going to drag Christopher down? What does that even _mean?_ "

His parents looked at each other again, shaking their heads. "You'll never understand because you don't know what it was like for us, trying to raise him," Helena said bitterly. "He's always been stubborn and difficult."

"Maybe he's stubborn because he's right, and you're wrong," Buck said. "Look, Mr and Mrs Diaz, I know you care. If you didn't care, you wouldn't be here – like my parents, for example. Right? So let me say this to you again – Eddie is an amazing father and he's raising the best kid in the entire world and for some reason, he loves me. I am so goddamn lucky to be with him. Do you understand? How can I make you understand that you've done a great job raising your son – and what I mean is that in spite of you, he's turned out to be this amazing, intelligent, caring, hard-working, wonderful man."

They both wore matching expressions of confusion. Eddie stood up, taking Buck's hand, giving his shoulder a light head-butt. Ramon said gruffly, "Regardless, we don't approve of this. And we don't think that Christopher should—"

"You don't have a say," Eddie interjected. "He's my son. I'm his father. When Buck and I are married, Buck is going to adopt him. He has parents. He has us. If you want to stay in his life as his grandparents, then you need to change your way of thinking. You can't constantly tell me everything I've done wrong, or am doing wrong, every single time I see you. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying my best. You pointing out everything I'm doing wrong only makes my life harder."

"What are you saying? That we accept your life choices, or we don't get to see our grandson?" Helena demanded, on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," Eddie said quietly. "I don't want to give you an ultimatum, but this is what's happening. You need to get on board with this or get out of our way."

"Then we'll go," Ramon said, rising to his feet. "Clearly you've made your choice."

Helena stood, looking over to the kitchen. "I wish I could tell you all the ways you're going to ruin his life with your selfish behaviour," she said, hitching her handbag up on her shoulder. "But you're so stubborn that you won't see it until it's too late. Goodbye, Edmundo."

She took Ramon's hand, and they left together, letting the door slam shut.

Eddie let out a breath he hardly realised he'd been holding, and then sank down into his seat. Buck knelt beside him, gazing up at him with concern.

"They're wrong," Eddie said quietly, uncertainly. "Right?"

"Yes."

"Why are they like this?"

"I don't have the answer for that." Buck leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I meant every word that I said, and they're so wrong, Eds. She only said that to make you feel bad; to get you to come crawling back. It's bullshit. They're trying to manipulate you. You need to stay strong, okay?"

"I am." He took a deep breath, nodding. "I know what's best for Christopher."

"Yes, you do. Trust your instincts. We're in this together, right? I'm here for you when it comes to them. I've got your back, my love. We can go non-contact."

"Yeah, maybe." Eddie rubbed his face. "I don't know. I'm hungry."

Buck laughed, kissing his cheek. "Well then, I better feed you," he said, rising to his feet. "Come on."

Eddie followed him into the kitchen, helping him dish out their dinner. They sat at the dining table together – Christopher only complained once about the broccoli on his plate, but Eddie placated him with a bribe (no ice cream for dessert unless he ate his greens). The phone rang, and he jumped up to answer it – his aunt, letting him know that his parents had arrived at her place and she would deal with it.

When he hung up and returned to the table, Christopher's plate was suspiciously absent of any broccoli, and Buck had an abundance of it. They were exchanging surreptitious looks, trying not to grin – and he wanted to say something about their deceitful behaviour, but they looked so proud of themselves that he couldn't help but laugh at them.

~

Eddie fielded calls from his sisters after dinner, sitting outside in the backyard so Christopher wouldn't overhear. Buck put Christopher to bed and then joined him when he was talking with his older sister, Adriana, sprawling out beside him on the back stairs.

Adriana was the high achiever of the family – she'd gone to business school and was running her own IT company in El Paso. His younger sister, Sophia, was a stay-at-home mother, and the apple of their father's eye. Adriana was about as emotional about things as Eddie was - she agreed with him that Sophia was the favourite child, and that their parents had a bad habit of trying to control the lives of their children.

He'd expected her to be angry with him – Sophia was so dumbfounded by the revelation that he was planning to cut his parents out of his life that she'd been unable to focus on anything else – but Adriana was more pragmatic.

"I can't say I didn't see this coming," she said to him. "I've followed Buck on Instagram since I first met him and almost every single picture he posts features you and Christopher. I know more about what's going on in your life from Buck than I do from you."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise; it's fine. You're busy. I'm busy. I get it. And look, I'm happy for you. I like Buck – he's a great guy. He clearly makes you happy. I know I was hard on you when you left, but it's only because I was worried about you." Adriana hadn't been quite as bad as their parents were, but she'd still made her disapproval known. "But now, I watch you guys on Buck's Instagram – say hi to him for me, would you? – and I see how happy you both are and I think you made the right choice."

"Could you tell Mom and Dad that?" he asked weakly.

"Eddie, they have never understood you. Ever. Anything you have ever done in your life has been the wrong thing. I don't know what you could possibly do to make it better now, so you may as well let them go. Do what makes you happy. Don't do things because they're expected of you. Stay in LA, marry the love of your life and have more kids. Live your life the way you want to, all right? I'll be pissed off if you don't."

He laughed. "Okay. Thanks."

"I'll deal with them when they get back; make sure they don't do anything stupid. I know you don't want to let them go, but… honestly, bro. I think you need to. But I'd still really like to be in your life and invited to the wedding and everything."

"Well, I knew I wouldn't get rid of you easily. We haven't decided when it's going to be yet." He glanced at Buck, who flashed him an easy smile. "Buck's still waiting for a proposal."

"You better lock that down. He's a hot guy; you don't want someone snapping him up from under your nose."

"No chance of that," he replied. "He's too in love with me."

Buck chuckled. "Is that Adriana? Can I say hello?"

"Yeah, sure. Here's Buck," he said to her, and passed the phone over.

"Hey, Adriana," Buck said, and let out a laugh. "Yeah! Nice to talk to you. Are you in town for the party next month?"

Eddie shifted so he was closer to him, resting his head on his shoulder. Buck said, "Yeah, definitely. Hey, I'll introduce you to my sister, okay? You guys will like each other." He paused, and then laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm happy too. Can't wait to marry the goon."

Eddie snorted.

"All right. Here he is. Talk to you soon." Buck passed the phone back, kissing Eddie's forehead briefly.

"Hey," he said. "It's late, so we're going to go."

"Okay, bro. You take care of each other, all right? Can't wait to see you, and don't worry about Mom and Dad – I will handle them," she said confidently. "You can count on me."

"Can you talk Sophia around as well?"

"I'll get everyone on your side. You just wait and see."

They ended the call, and Eddie pocketed his phone, glancing up at Buck. "My parents are staying with Abuela, and she is furious with them. Pepa told me all about it."

"How long are they staying?"

"Apparently, they head back to El Paso tomorrow, but they will be coming back in a few weeks for Pepa's birthday, if they're not uninvited before that happens."

"Knowing Pepa, they very well could be."

"Yeah." Eddie let out a sigh. "I don't know what to do. I don't trust them. I feel like I might need to warn Carla that they could turn up, and possibly the school as well? Just so they don't try anything. I mean, I feel like I'm overreacting a bit."

"Do what you have to do to make yourself feel secure," Buck replied. "Make sure his school knows not to release him to them."

"Yeah." Eddie tapped his fingers on the neck of the beer bottle. "Fuck, I'm just… I didn't want it to go down like this."

"I know. Me either."

"I was going to tell them when they got here, you know? I didn't want them to find out on television. No wonder they're so angry."

Buck glanced at him, his brow furrowing. "Eddie… they'd be angry regardless. You know that."

"Yeah, I mean—"

"No, listen. From everything you've told me about them – everything they put you and Shannon through, for example – to me walking in tonight hearing them say that you're going to drag Christopher down with you, whatever the fuck that means – they're not being reasonable. I know they're your parents. I know you love them and you feel a duty towards them to do the right thing, to be how they want you to be… but at this point, is that even possible?"

"No," he admitted quietly.

"Chances are they're always going to be a problem for us, right?"

"Probably."

"So you need to stop treating them as though they're reasonable people and start thinking of them as toxic people who don't want the best for you; who are selfish in a completely different way to how my parents are selfish," Buck said. "And look, I almost understand it, because I know how amazing Christopher is. I know they feel they played a part in raising him, but to dismiss you and everything you've accomplished, all of the hard work you've put in and the home you've made here – they're fucking idiots, Eds. And I won't stand by anymore and let them run you down. It's bullshit."

"Buck," he murmured with surprise. "Where is this coming from?"

"Look, you're always calling me your sweet baby," Buck said, and Eddie grinned. "But you're my sweet baby too. You're my family, and if I have to get protective and defensive, I will. I'm not going to let them make you feel like shit anymore."

"Okay," he said, giving a firm nod. "Okay. That's good."

"They're fucking idiots," Buck declared, pulling Eddie in for a kiss. "And I know idiots when I see them – I'm well versed in it."

Eddie smiled up at him. "Thanks for being there for me tonight. Any time I've ever gotten into it with them, I've been on my own. It was nice to have some support."

"Well, you were there for me with my parents," Buck replied. "It's only fair that I deal with yours as well. Come on, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

"Yeah, we've had a rough day… so I got you a little something." Buck brushed his lips against his cheek and stood, helping Eddie up as well. They went into the kitchen, where an Uber Eats bag was sitting on the bench.

Eddie folded his arms across his chest, pursing his lips. "What's that? Second dinner?"

"No, dessert." Buck held a finger to his lips. "Just for you and me."

"I thought we were off sweets; that we were going to get really ripped—"

"It's a cheat day, didn't I tell you?" Buck opened the bag and withdrew a small cake box. He grabbed two forks from the drawer and started out to the dining room table, sliding into his usual seat. Eddie sat across from him, resting his chin on his hand.

"You thought I needed cheering up with cake?"

"Yeah." Buck tore open the cake box – it contained a small, perfect-for-two chocolate cake with strawberries on top, from Eddie's favourite bakery.

"You planned this," he said accusingly, and Buck laughed in response. "When did you order this?"

"This afternoon, for a late delivery. I didn't know your parents would turn up." Buck handed him a fork, and then pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressing play. "I found our song for this week. Christopher liked it."

The first mouthful of chocolate was melting in his mouth as the music began to play softly.

_There are places I'll remember_ _  
All my life, though some have changed  
Some forever, not for better  
Some have gone, and some remain_

_All these places had their moments_ _  
With lovers and friends, I still can recall  
Some are dead, and some are living  
In my life, I've loved them all_

Buck was watching his face, his blue eyes filled with a world of emotion that Eddie had never seen before. He knew it was a Beatles song, vaguely remembered it from his childhood, but his heartbeat quickened when the next verse kicked in.

_But of all these friends and lovers_ _  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new_

At that he stood, ignoring the alarmed expression on Buck's face, and went down to the bedroom. It couldn't wait anymore. It was the perfect moment, it had to be now – everyone knew, so why wait any longer?

Maybe a more perfect moment would come along, or maybe he should get down on his knee in front of their friends and do it publicly, or maybe he should wait until the middle of the night to slip the ring on Buck's finger and whisper the proposal into his ear, but no, it was now, on this night, with the future laid out before them.

It had to be now.

Buck was still at the table when he returned, his eyes wide and filled with concern. The song was still playing, and Eddie let the words play out, standing in the doorway, eyes trained on the love of his life.

_Though I know I'll never lose affection_ _  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life, I'll love you more_

"Eds," Buck murmured, concerned. "Are—"

He held the black velvet ring box out in a shaking hand. Buck drew in a breath, blinking rapidly.

"You picked a good song," he said, a lump in his throat, tears burning in his eyes. "You and Chris nailed it."

Buck stood nervously, and then fumbled to switch the music off. "It's now?"

"Yep."

"You bought a ring?"

"Christopher helped me pick it out for you." Eddie was trembling. He had never done this before – his proposal to Shannon had been more of a, 'Whoops, you're pregnant, we better get married,' kind of thing. They'd picked out the engagement ring together and had a quickie wedding before she started to show.

This was different and he had to do it _right_ , so he knelt on one knee.

Buck's eyes were already brimming with tears. He swallowed reflexively, staring at Eddie unblinkingly, as though he feared it would all disappear.

Eddie opened the ring box – he and Christopher had selected a platinum band with a single black diamond in the middle. Simple and classic. Buck lowered his eyes long enough to take it in, a tear leaking down his cheek.

"Buck," he said, clearing his throat, and then changed tactics. " _Evan._ I'm not… great at this, so… what I want to say is that I love you, and Christopher loves you, and we want you to be in our family with us. I want to wake up to you every single day and go to bed with you by my side; I want you to help me raise Christopher to be the amazing person I know he will be. You have made our lives better, every single day we've known you, and… I hope we can make your life better too. So, my love, Evan—" his voice was thick with emotion, and he had to clear his throat before continuing, "Will you marry me?"

Silent tears were sliding down Buck's cheeks. He wiped them away, nodding and said breathlessly, "Yes, yep, I'd like that."

Eddie grinned at him, rising to his feet again, pulling the ring out of its slot. He took Buck's left hand and slid it into place, and then bent down to kiss the back of his hand tenderly.

Buck let out a tearful, joyful laugh. "It was the cake, right?

"Yes," Eddie replied, grinning at him. "It was the cake; nothing else."

"Shut up." Buck kissed him rapturously, throwing his arms around Eddie as though he never wanted to let go.

_This is perfect,_ Eddie thought, but then Buck was pulling away, a delighted smile on his face, and when Eddie reached for him again, he held up a finger.

"You won't believe this," he said. "Wait here."

"Buck—"

"Just wait!" Buck practically danced down the hallway.

Eddie groaned, collapsing into his abandoned seat and picking up his fork. He'd taken a mouthful of cake when Buck reappeared, dropping to his knees on the floor in front of him, looking up at him with bright, adoring eyes. "What's going on?" Eddie asked curiously.

Buck held out a similar ring box, arching an eyebrow. "Your son is what's going on. He planned this."

"What?" he asked disbelievingly. "No, because we went ring shopping two weeks ago—"

"And last Friday when he and I went to the supermarket together, he asked me if we could stop at the bookstore in the mall to see if that astronomy book we ordered had come in for him," Buck interjected, "so I did, and we get out of the car and he says, 'Maybe you should buy Dad a ring,' and I said, 'Chris, that's something your dad wants to do,' and he said, 'But you should have a ring as well in case he gives you one.'"

Eddie was laughing helplessly, tears in his eyes. "Is this a mild parent-trapping?"

"I think so!" Buck opened the box, and sure enough there was a matching ring inside. "He picked it. I let him pick it."

"Oh my god." Eddie rubbed his face. "That kid. I swear."

"He's the best," Buck said, extracting the ring from the box and taking Eddie's hand. "You guys are the best. I'm so happy." He carefully slid the ring into place on Eddie's left hand and admired it.

"We're engaged," Eddie marvelled, holding his hand up. "Our kid planned it."

"He's a genius, Eds, and what we have to hope for is that he uses his genius for good and not evil," Buck replied, leaning in to kiss him again. "Should we tell him now or surprise him tomorrow morning?"

"If we wake him up now, he'll be so excited he won't go back to sleep," Eddie said, draping his arms across Buck's shoulders. "But… I don't want him to be sad that he missed out on it, either."

"Are you suggesting we re-stage the proposal for him?"

He laughed. "No. But… maybe we do something else, instead."

**~*~*~**

_**Christopher** _

He'd thought his plan was pretty brilliant. When Dad had told him in secret that they were going to buy Buck a ring he was so excited about it – he didn't know how he was going to keep his mouth shut, but somehow he'd managed it. And then when Buck had taken him shopping he'd had the idea to get him to buy his Dad a ring as well, just because they both should have one, right? That was how it worked? To make it official?

And Buck gave him free reign, so he picked out exactly the same ring - they would be matching. Buck had admired it and said it was perfect, and he'd felt pretty smug about that, because of course it was.

And then he waited for it to happen, for Dad to propose to Buck, but it _didn't._

Then his grandparents turned up and that was confusing and scary, and he wasn't sure why Dad was so on edge and why Buck was so upset about it, but he figured he would ask them when it was just the three of them again.

He'd gone to bed that night not even thinking that it might be happening soon, not knowing that they were out in the living room with matching rings on their fingers, and it was only when he woke up somewhere completely different to where he'd gone to sleep that he realised something was up.

He was in Dad's bed, in between them, tucked up against Dad's chest. When had this happened? He lifted his head, looking around. The sun was peeking in through the curtains. Buck was asleep, facing them, the blankets pulled up to his chin. Had something happened and they were upset, and they needed him with them?

Worried, he turned to look up at his Dad – he was soundly asleep as well. Christopher wriggled a bit, shifting, and then reached up to pat his cheek.

Dad's eyes opened slowly, and he gave a lazy smile. "Morning."

"What's going on?" Christopher whispered, not wanting to wake Buck up.

Dad kissed his forehead and pulled him close again. "Nothing."

"Why am I here?"

"Because you're a sneaky little genius, that's why."

Uh oh. "I am?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the smile off his face.

"Mmmhmm. When did you come up with your master plan, huh?"

"I didn't."

"You did." Dad lifted his hand up, and there it was, the shiny ring that Christopher had picked out for him.

His eyes widened. "You… last night?"

"Yes." Dad kissed his forehead again.

He was suddenly desperately sad that he'd missed it, and burrowed his face against Dad's chest, trying not to get upset. Dad rubbed his back reassuringly. "I wanted to be there," he whispered, thinking that maybe Dad wouldn't hear him, but he did.

"It was very late," he said in his ear, "and it happened quickly, but you were there. You picked out the rings and the song, and you were there, kiddo."

"Did you ask Buck and he said yes?"

Dad nodded, releasing him long enough to reach an arm out, nudging Buck awake. Suddenly there were two more arms around them both, and Buck's face was buried in his hair.

"You're getting married," Christopher marvelled, his sadness suddenly forgotten. Married meant Buck would be here forever with them; that Dad would be happy always and he would always feel safe and protected.

"You want to be my best man?" Dad asked him quietly.

"What does that mean?" Christopher looked up at him hopefully.

"It means you stand up there with me when Buck and I get married. Buck's going to ask Bobby."

"I could be both your best man."

Buck chuckled from behind him, and Dad brushed his hair off his face and said, "You'll be there for both of us. What do you say?"

"Yes." Christopher hugged Dad tightly. "When are you getting married?"

"Next year. We haven't figured that out yet."

"And then guess what?" Buck's voice was sleepy. "We get to go away on a holiday together, all three of us."

"We do?!"

"Yep."

"Wow."

They both laughed. Christopher flipped so he was on his back, reaching for their hands, holding them up so he could see their rings.

"Are you happy, Chris?" Dad asked him in a soft voice.

He nodded emphatically. "Yes."

"We're going to have a party this weekend to celebrate, okay? But until then we're keeping it a little bit of a secret, all right?"

" _Another_ secret?"

Buck snorted with laughter. Dad reached over Christopher to poke him, and then said, "Yes, just until Saturday. You can stay quiet about this for a few days until we tell everyone together, can't you? No telling Abuela or Carla…"

"Or Denny or Harry, if you see them," Buck added.

"We want to have everyone over and tell them all together," Dad said. "What do you say?"

"I can do it," he said confidently. "I won't say _anything._ "

**~*~*~**


	2. Chapter 2

Bobby called Buck when he was on the way to work the next morning. They'd taken separate cars – Eddie took Christopher to school, intending to update the school about the situation with his parents, with Carla to meet him there for support. Both rings were tucked away in the top dresser drawer in their bedroom, though Buck was already feeling a bit naked without it on his finger. He had just picked up a coffee and some breakfast from the deli when Bobby's call came through.

"I'm not running late am I?" Buck asked instead of saying hello, checking the time on the dashboard.

Bobby's laughter filled the car. "No, you're fine. Is Eddie with you?"

"No, I was going to talk to you about that when I got in. We had a visit from his parents last night, so he's gone to the school to make sure they don't try to take Christopher." Buck pulled out into traffic and took the first turn towards the station.

"Okay. Fill me in when you get here. Listen, Buck – the media is here again, so park around the back. Let Eddie know, would you? Athena's on her way to disperse them."

"Is this going to happen every day?" he asked.

"Every day until they get tired of it, I imagine."

Buck heard Hen's voice in the background – "Tell Buck that _Good Morning America_ is here."

"Did you hear that?"

He laughed. "Yeah, and I couldn't care less. See you in a couple of minutes."

~

Sure enough, camera crews were huddled outside the station. Buck drove around to the back entrance, where Chimney was waiting with the gate open, and drove in. He hopped out of the car and called Eddie to fill him in, and then followed Chimney inside the building.

He changed into his uniform and then jogged up the stairs to greet the others. He gave them a brief rundown of what had happened with Eddie's parents the night before, and that there would likely be another confrontation when they returned for Pepa's party. Bobby had a concerned look on his face, rubbing his chin, but Buck said, "The plan is just to cover our bases at this stage, to make sure they don't try anything. I don't think they will. I think they'll come around."

"That's a lot of confidence there based on nothing, Buckaroo," Chimney said dryly.

"Well, I'm going to be optimistic for once. Everyone else in his family is on our side, even the aunts and uncles I've never met. Plus Adriana, his sister, is going to give them an absolute earful, I'm sure," he replied. "So I don't know. Either they'll double down and continue to be shitty about it, or they'll change their minds. I think they'll change their minds."

"Did you hear from your parents at all?" Hen asked him.

He shook his head. "No, and I wasn't expecting to."

Eddie arrived in the middle of the conversation with Carla at his side, holding a collection of forms. "You guys remember Carla," he introduced her.

"Nice to see you all again," she replied with a smile. "How's that lovely wife of yours, Captain Nash?"

"You might get the chance to see her. She'll be arriving soon to disperse the crowd of reporters out the front." He nodded to the papers in Eddie's hand. "What's all that?"

Eddie sighed. "Stuff Buck needs to sign to say he's Christopher's guardian. I'm going to have to go back to the school again. My parents are on some kind of watchlist but they need all these things filled out and signed by Buck as well."

"They're not taking any chances," Hen said knowingly. "Making sure everything is legit."

"I think so. The principal was pretty helpful." Eddie glanced at Carla. "I don't think they'll try anything, but I'd just like to be prepared."

"If they do it's kidnapping," Bobby pointed out. "Surely they wouldn't be that stupid."

"I don't think so." Eddie exchanged a look with Buck and then cleared his throat. "Listen, we've all got Saturday off, right? Buck and I are having a party at our house. A housewarming thing to celebrate moving in together. Are you guys free?"

Hen had a huge grin on her face. "Your first party," she teased. "How beautiful."

Buck rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's nothing. Come over or don't, we don't care."

"No, I'll be there, Buck," she shot back, giving him a light push. "I want to see you all domesticated."

"Bring the kids," Eddie added. "Around five? I'll fire up the grill."

Bobby's eyes widened comically. "Eddie, you're not cooking are you?"

"I'm cooking," Buck cut in smoothly. "Nothing to worry about. No food poisoning for anyone, I promise."

"All right," Bobby said skeptically. "I can help you out if you need it, Buck."

"I am definitely going to take you up on that," he replied, as they all groaned.

"Just an angle to get Bobby to cook for you," Chimney complained, nudging him with his shoulder. "Typical."

Everyone dispersed – Hen and Chimney went over to the kitchen together and Bobby gave Buck a pat on the shoulder before heading to his office. Buck turned to Eddie, who held up the paperwork. "Can we sit down and go through all this stuff? I need you to read it all."

"Sure," Buck replied,

Carla was in the middle of explaining everything to him patiently when Athena's voice echoed through the building – "And if you come back here again tomorrow, I might just arrest you."

Scattered laughter sounded throughout the station. Bobby emerged from his office, jogging down the stairs to greet her. Eddie murmured, "It's got to die down eventually, right? We can't go on like this forever."

"Maybe you need to say something to them," Carla suggested.

"No. Absolutely not." He set his lips in a thin line, flicking through the pages again. "I have no interest in any kind of fame."

"It's a little too late for that, Eddie," she said gently. "You're all over the internet."

"It'll die down," Buck said confidently. "Something else will happen and we'll be forgotten. This time in a week, the two hot firefighters from LA won't even be a topic of discussion."

"Or they'll find your calendar pictures and it _will_ be a topic of discussion," she pointed out. "You two were both featured in this year's calendar."

Eddie rubbed his eyes in annoyance, shaking his head. "That was for charity."

Sensing that Eddie was stressing, Buck gave Carla a quick shake of his head and tapped on the forms. "So if I sign this, and for some reason the school can't contact you, I'm the next point of contact?"

Eddie focused again, and nodded. "Yeah. If something happens to me, the school will release Christopher to you. And then Carla is going to get us another document for you to sign which says that you are his legal guardian, and that document gets filed in the court. Right?"

"Right," she said. "Once we're finished here, I'll take the papers back to the school and then organise everything else for you."

Eddie gave her a grateful look. "You really don't mind, do you? I can take time off—"

"No, no," she said, patting his arm. "I've got this. You know I'm a whiz with this stuff. I know you're having a rough time, and if I can make it easier, I will."

"Thank you," he said to her. "And you're free on Saturday, right?"

"I'll be there with bells on." Carla gave them both a questioning look and was about to open her mouth again when Buck cut her off.

"So where do I sign?" he asked brightly, and she passed across the papers to him so he could scrawl his signature on them.

She put them all in order and tucked them in a folder. "All right boys, I'll take these back to the school and then organise the rest for you," she said, rising to her feet. She bent over to kiss Eddie on the cheek, and he smiled up at her gratefully.

"As much as I love Buck and everything he's done for me," he said to her seriously, "I still think the best thing he ever did was introduce me to you."

Carla patted his cheek, chuckling with amusement. "Buck knows what people need," she replied, casting a warm glance in Buck's direction. "He's very perceptive. I'll call you when I've got everything sorted, and we can start the next lot of paperwork."

"Sounds good. I'll walk you out." Eddie stood, briefly touching the back of Buck's neck before leading Carla down the stairs.

Hen, who had been doing the dishes while they talked, slid into the vacant seat across from him. "So," she said, tilting her chin up. "How long did my wife know you and Eddie were a thing before I did?"

Buck cringed. "Uh…"

"Because she _knew_ ," Hen said accusingly, "and she was totally unsurprised by the video of you and Eddie at the pier. So how long, Buck? How long?"

"Um… I don't know, like… a few months, maybe?"

Hen narrowed her eyes. "Liar."

"Hen, no, I'm telling you the truth."

"Lies. A fountain of lies, Buckaroo. Tell me, or I will post that picture of you from Christmas two years ago. You know the one."

She had him over a barrel. That picture – the one of Buck drunkenly kissing an equally drunken Chimney under the mistletoe, both shirtless– needed to stay dead and buried where it belonged. Eddie hadn't even seen that picture and Buck barely remembered the event at all.

He lowered his voice and said, "She knew before I did. At May's graduation party."

Hen's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Yeah. She's known all along."

"And she didn't tell me?"

"That's between you guys. That's not on me." Buck held his hands up innocently. "I'm not getting mixed up in your marital affairs, Henrietta."

~

They were out of the station for most of the day – it seemed that everyone in Los Angeles had forgotten to drive, and they attended multiple car accidents across the city, some worse than others. Eddie was called away in the early afternoon – Carla needed him to attend a meeting at the school – so Buck headed home alone in the early evening, stopping in at Hen and Karen's house to pick up Christopher from his play-date with Denny.

With Christopher in the back and a Tupperware container with three banana muffins on the seat beside him, Buck headed home. Eddie and Carla were going to be tied up at the school for at least another hour, according to the voicemail Eddie left him. He sounded _exhausted._

"We'll have dinner all ready for your Dad when he gets home," Buck said to Christopher as they pulled into the driveway. "We'll make those chicken enchiladas he likes, what do you think?"

"Yum!" Christopher agreed. "With lots of cheese."

"Good plan," Buck said, turning the car off. "Your Dad's not here to watch how much I put on. Come on, kiddo, let's get started."

Their police detail wasn't out the front of the house, thankfully – Buck hoped that meant some of the interest was dying down. He helped Christopher inside the darkened house and went around switching the lights on.

"Go wash up," he said to Christopher, who started down the hall. "You want to have a shower now or before bed?"

"I can do it now."

"All right, yell out for me if you need help." Buck went into the kitchen, scrubbing his hands in the sink. He pulled ingredients out of the fridge and piled them all up on the counter, put some music on low and started organising their dinner. He was chopping onions, in his own world, when there was a knock at the door.

The shower was still running. Buck wiped his hands on a towel and went out to answer it, peering through the peephole first, just in case it was some nosy member of the press.

Eddie's parents were standing there expectantly.

He hesitated. He'd thought they would've left town by now, having not succeeded in whatever they were trying to do. He was a little worried about letting them into the house – what if they tried to take Christopher from him? So he sent Eddie a quick ' _SOS your parents are here_ ' text, and then unlocked the main wooden door, holding it open but blocking entry with his body.

"Hi," he said, pleasantly enough – maybe he could still win them over. "Eddie's not home at the moment."

"His truck isn't here. We were hoping to talk to you." Ramon had his arm around Helena's shoulders, a stern expression on his face. "If you will let us in."

"To see our grandson," Helena added stiffly.

Buck paused. Something felt a little off, but they were Eddie's parents – Christopher's grandparents. Could he really say no to them? "I'm just arranging dinner," he said, and held the door open so they could enter. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, we're not staying long. Where's Christopher?" Helena asked, looking past Buck and into the house.

"He's showering at the moment," Buck replied. "He'll be out in a minute."

"On his own?" she demanded sharply.

"Yes? He's nearly ten years old. He always showers on his own." Buck was trying to keep his voice pleasant, but he didn't like the tense way they were standing, and how they kept looking past him down the hallway. "Can I ask why you wanted to speak to me?"

Ramon said, "Perhaps we could sit down."

"I could go and check on Christopher," Helena offered. "To make sure he's okay."

"I'd rather you didn't," Buck said, and she turned disbelieving eyes on him. "I'm sorry, but he doesn't know you're here, and he will be out of the shower in a minute or two. The water isn't running anymore."

"Fine," she said sharply, gesturing to the living room. "Let's get this over with."

Buck's phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked it, switching off the music, and read Eddie's text – _'Coming home now, will be there in ten minutes.'_

Eddie's parents sat on the couch, side-by-side. Buck was about to take the armchair when he heard the bathroom door open, and Christopher call out to him. "I'll be right back," he said to them, starting down the hall. "What's up, buddy?"

"I dropped the shampoo and it went _everywhere_ ," Christopher complained, wearing only his pyjama bottoms. His hair was wild and sticking up in all directions.

"I'll clean it up," Buck said to him. "Can you do me a favour and play in your room for a few minutes? I'll come check on you in a bit."

Christopher gave a concerned look out to the living room, and then nodded. "Okay."

"All right. Where's your pyjama top?" Buck went into the bathroom and found it balled up on the floor. He handed it to Christopher, who pulled it over his head, and then went into his bedroom. "Okay, buddy?"

"Yup." Christopher flopped onto his bed, reaching for his colouring book.

Buck left him and returned to Eddie's parents, who were now standing in the living room, examining the pictures on the wall – another one of his and Christopher's projects while he was off work.

"When was this taken?" Helena asked him, pointing to a picture of Christopher and Eddie's Abuela.

"That was at a barbeque a few months ago," Buck replied quizzically.

"And this one?" she asked, pointing to a picture of Buck, Eddie and Christopher at the zoo with an elephant in the background.

"Last year," he replied.

"This has been going on for over a year? You and our son?" Helena's voice was sharp.

"No. We've been friends since Eddie joined the 118. We've only been together since May." Buck folded his arms across his chest. "Can I ask why you're here?"

Ramon and Helena exchanged a look. She turned to face him fully, squaring her shoulders. "Is Eddie serious about this? About you?"

"Yes," he replied cautiously.

She sighed, her expression pained. "And what brought this on?"

"We… fell in love?"

"And when you said that you were going to marry him—"

"I meant it. We've discussed it. We're looking at getting married next year, and I think he would really appreciate it if you would support him."

They exchanged another look. Helena screwed her face up, groaning. "This is not what we wanted for him. He's never done anything we wanted him to do," she complained, Ramon nodding in agreement. "We wanted him to apply himself, go to university and study, and instead he… gets Shannon pregnant and marries her, and then immediately joins the army and abandons her… and we've tried to help him, every step of the way, but… do you understand what it's like for us to be on the outside, watching him making the wrong decision over and over again, and being helpless to stop it?"

"Can I ask you why you think that he's making a wrong decision now?" Buck asked. "The person I know is not the person you're describing. People grow up; people change. Maybe Eddie made mistakes then – not that I think Christopher is a mistake – but he's been nothing but an amazing father since I've known him."

"An amazing father doesn't abandon his child to enlist in the army," Ramon said sharply. "An amazing father doesn't dump his child on his parents—"

"But that was years ago, sir," Buck replied. "You're still holding him accountable for things that happened nearly ten years ago. Why? Why can't you accept that he's a different person now? That he's built a life out here in Los Angeles, and did it all so Christopher could flourish? I don't understand."

"He moved out here for his own selfish reasons, to keep us from our grandson," Helena snapped.

"That's not true. He moved out here for a job – he has family here."

"He could've gotten a job as a firefighter in El Paso."

"No offence, but your son is overqualified for that. He's a decorated serviceman. He was top of his class at the academy. He's an unbelievable firefighter, Mr and Mrs Diaz. He's my teammate and I trust him with my life daily. So for you to—"

"You don't understand," she said again. "You will never understand."

"You don't understand," he shot back. "You have never supported or encouraged him. You make him feel awful every time he speaks to you. I don't know why you're here. Are you trying to get me to leave your son?"

"Yes!" she spat, her eyes flaring. "Yes. He deserves better than you. Christopher needs a father and a _mother_ , not this!"

Buck gave them a long, appraising look. He saw before him two people who thought they knew their son, but really had no idea who he was at all. He saw two people who thought they knew best and thought that they could get what they wanted by bullying people. He saw his parents, but a sober, more manipulative version – Buck's parents didn't care. Eddie's parents cared almost too much.

"Do you do this to your daughters, too?" he finally asked quietly. "Or is it just Eddie?"

They exchanged a look. "What do you mean?" Ramon asked, an edge to his voice.

"This – the constant doubting; the way you force your opinions. The way you try to control things. Is it just Eddie, or is it Adriana and Sophia as well? Because I gotta tell you, if you keep going down this path, you're going to lose all three of your children and all your grandkids. This is not good."

"Excuse me?" Helena demanded.

"You heard me. You're forcing Eddie to make a choice that he doesn't want to make," Buck said. "He will stop you from seeing Christopher if you continue to act like this. He will cut you out of his life, and the thing is – I know he loves you, and he doesn't want to do this, but you're leaving him no choice. Mr and Mrs Diaz, we're going to get married. I'm going to be your son's husband; I'm going to be the father of Christopher and your future grandchildren. We're planning on having more children together. He will want you to be in their lives but not like this. Not if you keep acting like this."

Headlights lit up the living room – Eddie was home. They were silent, looking at each other uncertainly.

Buck said, "I'm a good guy. I love Eddie and Christopher. I would really like for you to accept me."

The front door banged open. Eddie rushed into the house with Carla right behind him, both stopping abruptly when they found the group in the living room. Eddie was tense, full of fear – Buck met his eyes, holding up his hand, trying to convey to him that he needed to calm down.

"I thought you'd left," Eddie finally said, taking a step towards them. "Why are you here?"

"We're leaving on a late flight. We… wanted to talk to your friend." Ramon looked uncomfortable.

"My partner. Buck."

"Yes. We needed to find out what is really going on here."

Eddie said through clenched teeth, "I thought I was pretty clear last night."

They were all silent. Buck exchanged a look with Carla, who stepped forward, her hand on Eddie's elbow. "Mr and Mrs Diaz," she said pleasantly, flashing them that famous Carla smile. "It's nice to see you again."

Helena nodded at her. "Christopher talks about you often."

"He's a wonderful kid. All three of them are so happy," she gushed. "Have you seen the photos on the wall? Buck had a few weeks off work recently and he and Christopher put it all together as a surprise for Eddie. Do you like it?"

They both looked up at the photos again. "Yes," Ramon replied, clearing his throat. "Yes, it's very nice."

"Christopher picked the photos." Carla was going to win them over with the sheer force of her bubbly personality, Buck could tell, and he was happy to stand back and let her do it. "The one in the middle there is from when they went camping at Big Sur."

Helena gave Eddie a sharp look. "Camping?"

"Yes ma'am," Carla replied. "After Christopher came back from camp it was all he could talk about, so Buck arranged for them to head away for a weekend together."

Eddie's parents were faltering. Their anger was draining away, and now they were mostly looking unhappy. There was a long silence, which Helena broke with a tentative, "Eddie, we don't want you to cut us out of your life."

It was not what Eddie was expecting her to say, and his eyes flicked to Buck uncertainly. "I don't want that either," he finally said.

"Buck says you're going to have more children," she continued. "We… would like to be a part of your life. To be grandparents to your children."

Eddie paused, shifting his weight back and forth. He glanced at Carla and then at Buck, and said, "I want that too, but… I also need you to stop trying to control me. I don't need your help anymore."

They were both silent. Buck moved away from them, over beside Eddie and Carla. Eddie immediately fumbled for his hand, hanging onto it tightly.

"We… thought we were guiding you," Helena murmured. "Buck says we haven't been helpful."

"I'm not twenty anymore," Eddie pointed out. "And look, I know… I know I made a lot of mistakes, but I'm trying my hardest to make it up to Christopher. He loves Buck so much… and I'm so in love, as well. I had to find him the best person and it turned out the best person was the man I've been working with every day for the last two years… my best friend in the whole world. So I'm going with my gut on this one. It's not what you wanted and it's not how I thought my life would turn out either, but _this is what I want_. I want to get married to the love of my life and have a family with him," he said emphatically. "And I would like for you to be around for that but not if you tell me that I'm going to drag everyone down with me, because that… is the shittiest thing you could say to me. I blame myself for everything; I don't need you to blame me as well. You're my parents. You're supposed to love and support me."

They exchanged a look. Eddie was gripping Buck's hand so tightly he feared he may lose all feeling in it.

"We do love you," Helena finally said. "We just don't agree with all of your choices."

"And I'm telling you that I don't care anymore. The choice is yours – you're in my life, or you're not." Eddie's voice was firm, unwavering. "If you can't decide right now, that's okay. We can talk again when you come back for Pepa's party."

They both nodded. "May we see Christopher before we leave?" Helena asked hesitantly.

Eddie glanced at Buck. "Yeah, I'll get him," Buck said easily, finally extracting his hand from Eddie's death grip.

~~

His parents spent twenty minutes with Christopher in the living room before leaving for the airport. Eddie let Buck walk them out to their hire car – he was trying so goddamn hard to win them over – and sat in the kitchen with Carla, rubbing his head.

"I think they're coming around," she said gently. "It will just take some time. It didn't become an argument tonight, did it?"

"No."

"And they're talking to Buck now, which I think is an improvement. Your mother smiled at him before."

"Yeah." He rested his head on his hand and flashed a tired smile. "I just want to be happy. When they're not here, I feel like I can breathe."

"I think in this instance, separation is a good thing," she said, rubbing his shoulder. "I think they mean well, but… they're hard on you. And they probably always will be."

"I'm not that bad, you know… It's not like I did a bunch of drugs, got thrown in jail…" he trailed off. "I have never been able to please them."

The main door opened and closed, and Eddie lifted his head as the locks turned. Buck said something to Christopher in the living room and they both laughed, before he appeared in the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head. His shirt rode up to show his toned belly, and Eddie allowed himself a moment of silent appreciation.

"So," Buck said, looking at the mess of ingredients on the bench. "I was making enchiladas."

"Let's order a pizza," Eddie suggested. "Give you a night off, baby."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, come on. I'm tired, you're tired. Let's just take it easy."

Buck grinned. "Sounds good to me. Carla? Stick around?"

"No boys, I'm off, but I'll see you on Thursday and then Saturday for the party that you're being very secretive about," she said, narrowing her eyes at Buck, who simply shrugged.

"Just a housewarming party," he replied. "That's all. Nothing to read into."

"Would you like me to bring anything along?"

"Just your wonderful self, Carla."

Carla beamed at Buck and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheeks. "All right," she said to them affectionately. "I'll be off. Have a nice night."

"Thank you for today," Eddie said to her. "You really are a whiz at paperwork."

"Just one of my many, many skills," she replied, flashing him a warm smile before heading out to say goodbye to Christopher.

Eddie stood up and helped Buck put the food back in the fridge, stealing a moment to kiss and hug him. Buck wrapped his long arms around Eddie's shoulders and held him close, swaying back and forth.

"What did they say to you?" Eddie mumbled in his ear.

"I'll tell you all about it. I think they're coming around."

"I think you're optimistic."

"Well, I do tend to have a positive outlook." Buck kissed his forehead.

~

That night, as they lay in bed beside each other – Buck on his phone, listening to an Audiobook, while Eddie watched an episode of _Scrubs_ to wind down for the night – he happened to look over as Buck lifted his left hand up, examining the engagement ring again.

"Still there?" he asked him wryly, pressing pause on the episode.

"Just double-checking." Buck pulled his headphones out of his ears and set his phone on the bedside table, turning so he was lying on his side, his head on Eddie's shoulder.

Eddie closed his laptop and set it aside as well, flicking the light off, pulling him in close. He and Buck had spent half an hour Facetiming with Adriana after Christopher had gone to bed, filling her in on everything that had happened – and she kept telling them that she would take care of it, but he really had no idea what that meant.

They'd asked her if there was any chance of her and Sophia flying out for the party, and the answer was unfortunately no – so Buck took great pleasure in holding up his left hand as she shrieked with delight. She promised to keep it a secret, at least until Saturday, and reiterated again that she would sort out their parents.

Buck cuddled up to him, tucking his head in the crook between Eddie's shoulder and neck. Eddie ran his fingers up and down his back absently, tired all the way down to his bones.

"You want to go away with me next Friday night?" Buck asked softly. "We've got the night off. I talked to Hen, and they would be okay holding a sleepover at their place."

Eddie smiled sleepily. "Where do you want to go?"

"I was thinking I'd just find a nice Airbnb somewhere near the water."

"Make it a hotel and we've got a deal. Then we can order room service."

"Smart." Buck kissed his cheek. "We'll have to be back by midday for our shift. I'll find somewhere close."

Eddie tilted his head to find his lips, kissing him properly. Buck hummed a little and slid his hand down Eddie's chest and over his stomach, and lower into his sweats. He was tired, but his body responded, and Buck chuckled as Eddie slipped on top of him.

"Been a while," he whispered against Buck's lips.

"Mmm, that's okay. Want me to take care of you?"

Eddie pulled away, smiling down at him. "Really?"

"Oh no, it's a big ask," Buck teased. "I'll have to really think about it."

"Well, don't think on it too long, I might fall asleep on top of you."

"Have we lost the magic already?" Buck teased, flipping him onto his back and sliding on top of him. "Is this the end of romance?"

"God, I hope not." Eddie grinned as Buck nosed against his neck. "God, I love you," he said in his ear. "Thank you for tonight."

"For what?"

"For just… taking care of it. Not letting it turn into a fight."

Buck lifted his head. He stroked his thumb over Eddie's brow line and studied his face, murmuring, "I think non-contact is the wrong way to go with them. I think they will come around; I think… I think they'll be okay. Your dad shook my hand at the car. I think it's going to be all right."

"He did?"

"Yeah." Buck kissed him sweetly. "I think it's going to be okay."

~~

Saturday was a bright, sunny day – Buck thanked god for that. Friday had been a rainy, horrible mess and they'd been run off their feet at work. He ran out to the supermarket with Christopher in tow in the morning while Eddie cleaned up the house, and when they returned, Eddie was mowing the backyard, his shirt tied around his waist, sweat dripping down his back.

Buck stood on the back porch and ogled him for a while – Eddie noticed and gave him the finger, but then paused to tip some water from his water bottle over his head, arching his eyebrows at Buck. _Tease_ , Buck thought, winking at him before returning to the kitchen to prep the food.

All they'd asked their friends to bring were some dessert items, so Buck spent some time making different salads – under Christopher's watchful eye – and seasoning the meat the way Bobby had taught him. Eddie finished up in the yard in the early afternoon, stopping in the kitchen to rub his sweaty body all over Buck's clean clothes while Christopher screamed with laughter, finally stealing a carrot stick and dancing away before Buck could whip him with the tea towel in retaliation.

Bobby and Athena were the first to arrive, with May and Harry in tow – unsurprisingly, as Bobby would've been beside himself with worry about how the food prep was going. Athena was allowed to greet Buck briefly before Bobby took his side in the kitchen and looked over everything with a critical eye.

"Very nice," he finally said to Buck, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "But you still need more practice with the knife."

Athena tutted at him, following Eddie out to the backyard with the kids. "Eddie, do you need any help out here?"

"It's all set up, thank you, Athena," Eddie's voice drifted down the hall.

Buck handed Bobby a soda and went to work dicing onions again. Bobby leaned on the bench, looking around the house. "You're all moved in," he commented. "That's your couch in the living room, isn't it?"

He laughed. "Yeah, Eddie had his eye on it, so we got rid of his old one. We just have to grab the last of my stuff tomorrow."

"And the pictures on the wall, they're new."

"That was a project Chris and I did while I was off work." He scraped the onions into a bowl and covered it with some plastic wrap, glancing at Bobby questioningly when he realised that he'd gone quiet.

Bobby had a small smile on his face. "I'm proud of you," he said quietly. "Well, not about the lying and sneaking around, but… everything you've built here. I knew you just needed to find the right person."

"Did you think when you hired Eddie that this would happen?" Buck asked with a grin, washing his hands at the sink. "Because I sure didn't."

"I had a feeling when you two became best friends very quickly that I'd made the right call, putting you together," he replied. "But… I don't know, Buck. You've grown a lot in the three and a half years I've known you. I think you needed the time to figure yourself out."

He dried his hands, giving Bobby a questioning look. "Maybe," he said. "But he's always known who I am. Sometimes I think you and I are too similar, Bobby… that you see yourself in me and you want to stop me from making mistakes, but all my mistakes led me to him."

"Who said they were mistakes? People grow," Bobby pointed out. "You've grown up and figured out what you want, and Eddie is the person who can give you what you need. You've both certainly been a lot more settled and happy the last six months."

"We have?" Buck leaned against the counter. "I guess sneaking around behind everyone's backs was a good thing then."

Bobby laughed. "Well, I might've appreciated a heads up earlier, especially when it came to dealing with the Chief and the department, but sure."

There were footsteps in the hall and then Eddie appeared in the doorway, smiling in at them. "Your sister is here," he said to Buck. "I've got a chair all ready for her."

"Great," Buck said. "Bobby, would you mind keeping an eye on my potatoes?"

"Go greet your guests," Bobby said, waving him out of the kitchen. "Go on."

Maddie was six months' pregnant, only working part-time at the call centre but mostly spending her days at home. Chimney helped her into the house, hovering around her like the over-protective soon-to-be father that he was. Albert filed in after them, handing Eddie a six pack of beer. Buck gave Maddie a hug and a kiss in greeting, but she was pulling out of his arms to examine the photos on the wall, swatting him playfully when he tried to guide her outside to the cushioned chair Eddie had prepared for her.

Hen, Karen and the kids were the next to arrive, followed by Josh and a bottle of wine, which he handed to Eddie before giving Buck a hug. Eddie's Aunt Pepa and his Abuela arrived next, followed immediately by Carla, and he was helping them out to the backyard when Buck's next two guests knocked on the door.

Steve and Derek stood on the doorstep, baby Katherine in Steve's arms, looking around nervously. Buck greeted them both with a hug and led them inside, introducing them firstly to Bobby, who shook both their hands with a smile on his face. Buck led them out to the back and introduced them to everyone, ignoring Maddie's look of admonishment when she realised that these were some of his secret friends.

Michael and his boyfriend – the hot doctor, as Buck liked to call him, but his real name was Eric – were the last to arrive, or so he thought. He was about to take the salad and bread rolls out to the tables when there was another knock on the door – _god, I hope it's not Eddie's parents_ , he thought as he went to answer it.

A blast from the past was standing there, phone in his hand, a nervous smile on his face - Nick, Buck's former college roommate and boyfriend.

Stunned, Buck paused in the doorway, tilting his head to the side. "When I sent you that invitation it was a joke," he said. "I didn't really think you'd fly out for this."

"As it turns out, I was in town on business," Nick replied, holding his hands out. "Long time no see, kid."

"Aw man, it's so good to see you," Buck replied happily, pulling him in for a hug. "What a surprise! How the hell are you?"

"A little nervous but okay," he said with a chuckle. "It's been a long time. The last time I saw you in person, you were skinny. Where'd all these muscles come from?"

"Work," Buck replied proudly, ushering him into the house. "Jeez Nick, you look great. How long has it been? Five years?"

"Something like that," Nick replied, looking around with a smile. "Where's your man?"

"He's out the back, running around making sure everything is under control," Buck replied – but as if on cue, Eddie strode into the house, looking a little stressed. "Eds," Buck said to him before he could disappear into the kitchen. "There's someone you should meet."

Eddie stopped in his tracks, looking over at Nick questioningly, before realisation dawned on his face. "I know who you are," he said with a grin. "Buck said, 'I'm going to invite Nick as a joke.'"

Nick let out a laugh. "Yeah, well, I was in town anyway – was going to ask him if we could catch up – and then the next thing I know I'm being invited to a party, so I thought… I'll just turn up as a surprise. Hi, I'm Nick Menzies. Nice to meet you finally."

"Eddie Diaz," Eddie replied, shaking his hand. "Nice to finally see you in real life."

"You two have a nice house," Nick said to them. "I've been following your adventures on Buck's Instagram. I feel like I know you and we've never even met."

"You want to meet everyone else? They're going to have literally no idea who you are or how we know each other," Buck said to him, "but they're all very nice people."

"Sure," he replied. "May as well throw me in the deep end!"

~~

Once all their guests had arrived, and everyone was settled in the backyard, one of Buck's famous playlists providing the music, Eddie found himself seated beside Maddie, watching the kids play on the grass. He'd always liked the way Denny and Harry included Christopher in their games, making sure that he was involved and participating even if he couldn't run and chase after them.

Nick was seated with Hen and Karen, who were talking to him seriously – what about, Eddie had no idea. Steve and Derek were hanging out with Josh, Michael and Eric, who were all listening to Albert with interest as he regaled them with a story – tales of his woeful dating life, Eddie guessed. Baby Katherine was in the current possession of Athena, who was sitting with May, Carla, Aunt Pepa and Abuela, who had Nia in her lap.

Maddie nudged him with her elbow. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he replied, straightening up. "What's up?"

"When you found out you were going to be a father… how did you feel?" she asked quietly. "Were you scared, or…"

"Oh yeah, I was terrified. I was twenty, turning twenty-one, and Shannon was nineteen. She was twelve weeks' pregnant when we found out." He looked over at Christopher again, who was sitting in the grass, laughing at Denny and Harry hysterically.

"When did you stop freaking out about it?"

"Are you nervous?"

She winced, and said, "Maybe a little, as it gets closer? I honestly never planned on this happening… after Doug, and everything, you know? It's been a surprise. I'm excited, but I'm also… like, oh my god, what if I screw this kid up?"

"You won't," he replied. "You'll be a great mom. You raised Buck, didn't you?"

At that they both looked over at Buck, who was at the barbeque with Bobby and Chimney, the three of them playfully arguing about something. Maddie smiled at him fondly. "Maybe you don't want to hear this," she said to him confidentially, "but he was the most beautiful baby. I should show you pictures sometime – the next time you guys come over for dinner, okay? I've got a couple of albums. Have you ever seen pictures of him as a kid?"

"No, he doesn't have any."

"That figures. When he left home, he left everything behind." Maddie had her eyes on Buck. "Anyway, he was the most beautiful kid, Eddie. I used to hold him for hours when he was a baby. He was with me all the time… I loved it, you know? I loved taking care of him. He was like a living doll, with beautiful big blue eyes. We had a nanny as well, but I used to change him, feed him, bathe him… I was there for all of that." She suddenly looked emotional, swallowing hard. "Sometimes I think that if our parents were different, if I hadn't been there when he was little… maybe he wouldn't be our Buck. He'd be someone different."

"Then I'm glad you were there," he said quietly, nudging her with his shoulder.

"And then I left him." She wiped her eyes, shaking her head a little. "Sorry. I am crying at the drop of a hat lately; I can't control it."

"It's okay, but let's try to hide it from Chim – I don't want him to think that I'm the one upsetting you."

She laughed, nudging him with her elbow. "He won't. He loves you."

"He does? Sometimes – oh, never mind." He closed his mouth, shaking his head, looking over at Christopher again.

"No, what?" Maddie asked curiously.

He shrugged, embarrassed. "No… I just… I always have this fear that like, Chim and Hen only put up with me because of Buck."

"No," she admonished. "That's not true at all. Chim loves you like a brother. He's happy that you and Buck are together, even if… well, if I'd known it was you with Buck, Eddie, I never would've been so worried about him. You know that, right?"

He instantly went red. "We don't need to talk about that," he said with an awkward chuckle. _Please god, let's not talk about that._

"You know I'm sorry about that, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine, we don't need to go into it," he replied, embarrassed. "Anyway, forget I said anything."

Maddie smiled at him. "I'm really happy that you guys are together," she said. "When you first joined the 118, around the same time I got here – all he talked about was you. Like, for weeks before I met you, all I heard about was this mysterious Eddie. I don't even think he realised he was doing it."

Eddie looked over at Buck again, who was arguing with Chimney while Bobby rolled his eyes at them. "He did?"

"Yeah, he did," she said gently. "When he loves someone, he's all in."

"I know. That's what I love about him." Eddie had a mouthful of beer, glancing at her. "I'm going to take care of him, just like he takes care of us. I'll do my best; I promise."

She nodded, smiling, but tears were brimming in her eyes. "I'm really happy for you, you know? Like… I know we haven't spent that much time together, but I feel like I know you so well because of everything Buck has told me. I hope we get to know each other better. He says you're planning on having more kids."

Eddie grinned. "Yeah, that's definitely going to happen. I don't know how, but we'll figure it out."

"Surrogacy, adoption, fostering…"

"We're leaning towards surrogacy. Buck's already done research about it. I want him to have his own biological child as well, you know? I mean, I know it doesn't really matter," he said, casting a look to where Hen and Karen were sitting, "but… I'd really like a mini-Buck running around."

"Be careful what you wish for," she teased, and he laughed.

~

After dinner, and before dessert, Buck and Eddie had a silent conversation with their eyes, nodding in agreement. Everyone was sitting around the tables, laughing and chatting – with everyone there and settled, it was the perfect time for an announcement.

Eddie tapped his knife on his beer bottle and stood, Buck at his side, clearing his throat nervously when all eyes turned to them expectantly. "Thanks for coming," he said, and immediately turned to Buck for help. "Buck?"

Buck laughed, sliding an arm around his shoulders. "So… uh, surprise! We're getting married," he said, and held up his left hand.

Jaws dropped around the table. Chimney shouted at him, "Thunder stealer! I knew it!"

Buck cackled with laughter.

"This is an engagement party," Athena said accusingly. "You two are unbelievable."

"How long have you been engaged?" Hen demanded. "Is this a months-long deceit or is this only a recent deceit?"

Eddie exchanged a grin with Buck. He slipped the ring onto his left finger in his pocket and held it up as well, shrugging. "Sorry, guys. You know we like to keep things under wraps."

"Thunder stealers," Chimney remarked, his arms across his chest. "Maddie and I are having a baby together, and you two are just fast-forwarding through _everything_ —"

"Hey Chim," Buck called, sliding an arm around Eddie's shoulders. "When you know, you know. Right? What's the hold up? Me and Eddie have got this figured out."

Maddie elbowed Chimney before he could retort and said, tearfully, "I can't believe you guys. When did this happen?"

"During the week," Eddie replied, his arm around Buck's waist. "We'll get married sometime next year."

"There's no rush, right?" Chimney teased.

They looked at each other again. Buck smiled and said, "I just really want to be Mr Diaz, what can I say?"

When Eddie kissed him in response, they broke into cheers and whistles. Everyone was up and out of their chairs, hugging and congratulating them – even Chimney, who did pull Buck away to wag a finger in his face about being an attention seeker. Buck broke away from him with a grin and grabbed Bobby by the arm, dragging him over to the side, beckoning for Eddie to join them.

"What's going on?" Bobby was asking as Eddie stepped up to them.

Buck rested his hands on his hips, giving Bobby a nervous look. "I was kinda hoping you'd be my best man. I can't really ask Eddie; I'm marrying him."

Bobby laughed, delighted, looking back and forth between them. "I'd love to," he said, pulling Buck in for a hug. "You know Chimney is going to feel slighted."

"Yeah, well, he can take back all the thunder stealing comments and then we'll talk," Buck replied, clapping Bobby on the back before pulling away, and sliding his arm around Eddie's shoulders.

"And I'm guessing Christopher will be standing next to you," Bobby said to Eddie, who nodded. "I'm happy for you guys. I'm not happy about the paperwork I'll have to do, but it is what it is."

Athena joined their huddle, a glass of wine in her hand. "You two," she said affectionately, shaking her head at them. "No more secrets from now on, understand?"

"This is the last one," Eddie promised. "Unless we decide to elope."

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Don't you _dare_."

"I don't know, I hear Vegas is very nice this time of year," Buck said loftily. "We could get married by Elvis, visit the fake Eiffel Tower and lose all our money at a casino all in one day."

Eddie hugged him from the side, resting his chin on his shoulder. "That is absolutely not happening," he murmured, as Buck laughed.

~~

As the night wore on, Buck found himself with Eddie by his side, seated off to the side with Nick. Steve and Derek had already left with their apologies and a sleeping baby, but with a plan to catch up for dinner at some point before Christmas. Nick had a beer in his hand, listening in amusement as Buck and Eddie filled him in about their ill-fated dinner with Buck's parents, aunt and uncle and crazy cousin Kyle.

"Your parents," he said with a roll of his eyes, "are the worst. I have never forgotten the look on your mother's face when she opened the door to you with a black boyfriend – I mean, Buck, what were you thinking? Honestly."

"In my defence," Buck said, leaning back against Eddie, "she didn't know you were my boyfriend at that stage."

"She sure found out though," Eddie remarked, and they both laughed.

"One of the most embarrassing moments of my life for sure," Nick said, shaking his head. "It still makes me cringe. We really did think they were out for the night; we weren't even being quiet about it."

"That's the man I know and love," Eddie said, and Buck elbowed him.

Nick smiled at him. "You know, it's kind of cool that you're just happy for your fiancé to invite not one, but two of his ex-boyfriends to his engagement party."

Eddie and Buck exchanged a look, and Buck said, "It's not the men he worries about; it's the women."

"Hey."

"Well, it's true. I never would've invited Abby."

"Why though?" Nick asked Eddie curiously. "I mean, you're obviously not threatened by either me or Steve."

Eddie gave Buck an appraising look and said, "With Abby, I think it's because… he was still getting over her when we first met. I didn't know him when they were a couple but I saw the aftermath. With you guys… it was a long time ago, so it's kind of a different thing."

"I get that," Nick replied easily. "You feel protective of him. I used to feel that way too, when we were younger. Your cousin was a dick."

"He still is," Buck said, rolling his eyes. "Eds was really thrown in the deep end there."

"Well, you are going to be a _Buckley_ ," Nick said, adopting a posh accent, "and with that comes certain responsibilities. Like day drinking, for example."

"Talking down about people who don't own a Mercedes," Buck added.

"Judging people by the colour of their skin and the clothes they wear and the way they live their lives."

Eddie chuckled, sliding his hand around Buck's chest, his chin on his shoulder. "Well, here's the thing," he said. "Buck and I can bond over the fact that we're both blessed with difficult parents."

Nick winced. "Oh, you poor bastards."

"Yeah." Eddie patted Buck's chest, swaying back and forth slightly. "But it's okay. We've got each other."

"And," Buck said to Nick, "I'm going to bring him and Christopher out to New York at some point. Eddie's never been to the East Coast."

Nick let out a low whistle. "We'll have to take in the sights," he said. "Eddie, you look like the kind of man who would appreciate a Broadway show."

Eddie snorted. "Um…"

"He may sit and watch it; whether he likes it is another matter," Buck said, patting Eddie's thigh. "Not sure when we'll make it out there, but I'll definitely let you know. Christopher will want to see the Natural History Museum."

"Is that the one with the giant whale?" Eddie asked, and they both nodded. "Yeah, he'll be into that. And the dinosaurs."

"And you can meet my husband and the kids," Nick said to them. "We'll show you around the town; you'll have a great time."

"I don't know how you think we're going to get time off or afford any of this," Eddie said to Buck, who just pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Leave it to me, my love. Leave it to me."

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re Eddie's parents:
> 
> In the context of the show I don't like them, like, at all. The line that sticks in my head is the "drag him down with you" line, because that is such a harsh thing to say to your kid.
> 
> But ultimately I didn't want them to be another set of villains in this because Buck's parents take the cake, so... I've gone with a more sympathetic, hopeful, "maybe they'll come around and realise the error of their ways and also be charmed six ways to Sunday by Evan Buckley and his blue eyes" slant.
> 
> In terms of whether this would happen on the show, my gut says no, but... it's a bummer to have everyone's parents be awful, so Eddie's parents get a pass, just this once.
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~
> 
> [The Beatles - In My Life](https://youtu.be/YBcdt6DsLQA)
> 
> Find me at Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


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